We are doing everything. We should receive the status before the end of this year. If we are talking about a deserved candidate status, our contrary certainly deserves it, Georgian prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated on Imedi TV.

As the Head of Government pointed out, if anyone sabotages this process, and wants to sabotage it, these are the same destructive and anarchist forces

“All Europeans or foreigners equating Saakashvili and our country deny our country’s sovereignty. They do not respect our country, our country’s independence, our institutions, our people, thousands of people tortured and abused by Saakashvili. So, it only makes sense that our response and reaction will be adequate, proportionate. Those who disrespect us should not expect us to respect them. We are doing everything transparently. For example, we publicly suggested that Saakashvili’s family bring any doctor from any clinic—his family and no one else. Nobody else should be involved in this process. His family can bring someone to treat him here, no problem. No problem at all. We will not create any obstacles whatsoever. But it will not work without our medical facilities or institutions. We must protect our honor. We must protect our name and our reputation. Our statehood, culture, and identity go back millennia, and no one should have any expectation of us committing any lawlessness.

“As for the candidate status in general, we are doing everything, and we have already done the maximum—the Parliament has worked very well with the Government. Together we all did everything toward fulfilling every recommendation within maximally tight deadlines. I have said it before, and I will repeat that, of course, if we look at Moldova and Ukraine, we know what is happening there. In the latest EU report, we are far ahead of them—we are two, three times ahead of Ukraine and Moldova, in every direction. But we know that they made a political decision, punishing us in a way, saying that the status will be later, not now, so we need to wait. We replied: we understand, thank you, and we received the European perspective. The status was given to them in advance. We do not envy anyone, and we have said it many times before. But—since we are doing everything—we expect to receive the status before the end of this year. If we are talking about deserved candidate status, our contrary certainly deserves it. If anyone sabotages this process, and wants to sabotage it, these are the same destructive and anarchist forces,” the Prime Minister stated.