Statements

The letter of the Georgian Civil Society
to the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia.

Amb. Hartzell, 

On behalf of the civil society of Georgia, we would like to thank you for many years of successful work in Georgia and for the support that our homeland and civil society have always felt from the European Union – and you personally.

Your time in Georgia coincided with tragic and historic developments, both in Georgia and Ukraine. We appreciate and are grateful for the support our homeland has always received to achieve the main foreign policy goal of Georgia – to return to the family of European Nations and to end the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. We are immensely grateful for the constant and unwavering support that you have shown for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our homeland.

We appreciate your involvement in carrying out all the reforms that will bring Georgia and the European Union closer together and are necessary to improve the life of every citizen in our country. You were personally involved in a number of projects aimed to increase the well-being of Georgian citizens – whether it was supporting the tourism industry, development of the agricultural sector, or introduction of the best European practices.

We especially want to highlight your contribution to the April 19th  Agreement reached with the help of Charles Michel and the granting of European perspective to Georgia  – unfortunately, the political elites of Georgia did not properly assess the importance of EU involvement. Nonetheless, this agreement will become the cornerstone of a better Georgian, European democracy in the future.

You applied yourself to the European future of Georgia, during your stay in Georgia you treated the Georgian culture with great respect and you will be remembered for your tribute to the work of our beloved composer, Gia Kancheli. We will always remember this respect and appreciation of our source of pride – Georgian culture.

We would like to emphasize that recent anti-European and anti-American statements by the Georgian Dream, attacks on the Ambassadors of Georgia’s strategic partners and friendly countries, attempts to use foreign policy and the country’s interests in domestic political games harm the national interests of Georgia and pose a direct threat to the future of our country.

Nevertheless, civil society will continue to defend Georgia’s western future and we will spare no effort to achieve the main foreign policy goal of our country – to return to the family of European nations and to end the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.

We are certain that our friendship flourished in Georgia will continue in the future and that you will remain a firm supporter of our country. 

Thank you for your service and the support that you have personally extended to our country, citizens and civil society.

Signatories:

• Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI)
• International Society for Fair Elections And Democracy (ISFED)
• Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)
• Georgian Court Watch
• Open Society Georgia Foundation
• CIIC
• Human Rights Center
• transparency international georgia
• Georgian Democracy Initiative
• Media Development Foundation
• Women Engage For A Common Future – Georgia (WECF)
• Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association
• GRASS – Georgia’s Reforms Associates Georgian
• Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation)
• Democracy Index
• Group of Independent Lawyers
• Rights Georgia
• Civic IDEA
• International Centre for Geopolitical Studies (ICGS)
• Democracy Research Institute – DRI
• Chavchavadze Center
• Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy – EECMD
• Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC)
• Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP)
• Mediaombudsman
• The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics – qartia.ge
• Georgian Alliance of Regional Broadcasters
• Sapari
• Georgian Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation (GCRT)
• Media and Communication Educational and Research Center (MCERC)