Georgian PM Kobakhidze Accuses EU Officials of ‘Double Standards’ Over Anti-Government Protests

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused European Union officials of applying double standards in their criticism of his government’s handling of anti-government protests, claiming that their real concern is the failure of Georgia’s former ruling party to return to power.

Speaking to journalists, Kobakhidze alleged that European officials had consistently taken a selective approach to assessing political developments in Georgia, particularly regarding demonstrations and police responses to unrest.

“The European bureaucracy has been characterised by double standards throughout all these years. In reality, these people are concerned about only one thing: that they failed to bring what we call the bloody regime back to power, even after the most recent parliamentary elections,” Kobakhidze said.

The prime minister argued that European officials had failed to apply consistent standards when assessing the conduct of protesters and law enforcement agencies.

“We have become accustomed to double standards. This has been the defining characteristic of the European bureaucracy for years,” he said.

“On the one hand, they completely ignore serious violations in the way demonstrators are treated elsewhere. On the other hand, they describe violent protests as peaceful demonstrations and criticise our government when the police are forced to use force in response to violent actions.”

Kobakhidze insisted that the EU’s approach amounted to a clear example of unequal treatment.

“This is unequivocally a double standard, and these double standards are also having a negative impact on public attitudes towards the European bureaucracy,” the prime minister said.