German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visits Georgia on March 23-24. According to the German Embassy to Georgia, German FM will meet President Salome Zourabichvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, and Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili. In addition, the meetings are scheduled with students, civil society representatives, and the opposition.

"Minister will visit the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with the separatist South Ossetian region and talk with representatives of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM). Germany has sent the most employees to this mission.

The meetings will focus on German support for Georgia's rapprochement with the European Union and NATO, and necessary reforms. The visit aims to establish close and direct contacts between the two nations and deepen good cooperation for Georgia's European future," the diplomatic mission states.

Annalena Baerbock: We see the attempts to dissuade Georgia from the pro-European course

"The people of Georgia also have the EU as a clear target. In recent weeks, they have waved the EU flag on the streets of Tbilisi as they demonstrated for the protection of pluralism and the rule of law. I want to make it clear during my trip that Germany is fully committed to Georgia's European perspective. 

We see the attempts to dissuade the country from the pro-European course that the overwhelming majority of Georgians support. And we see the pressure the country faces from within and without," wrote the head of the German Foreign Ministry.

Georgian Dream Responds

Gia Volsky, one of the leaders of the Georgian Dream party, criticized German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's evaluation prior to her trip to Georgia, stating that it was inaccurate. Volsky argued that Berbok's remarks suggested a departure from the pro-European direction that the majority of Georgians support.

As Volsky noted in this context, most society is focused on the goal of the European integration process and supports the government that came through the elections.

"The statement is incorrect. The majority and the largest part of society are focused on the goal of the European integration process. The majority of the society supports the government that came through elections. The constitution was created by this government, where it is written that this direction is central and necessary for developing and maintaining stability.

We know what our purpose is and what our agenda is. Our goal is to get the candidate status in December," the Chairman of "Georgian Dream" Irakli Kobakhidze, responded to Baerbock's remarks.

According to Kobakhidze, only the radical opposition creates obstacles on the way to European integration. "I don't know the context of this statement, so it will be difficult for me to comment." We know what our purpose is and what our agenda is. Our goal is to obtain candidate status in December, and our agenda is to implement the 12 recommendations. As for the obstacles on this path - the obstacles are created from the only side, it is the radical opposition, which is not involved in implementing relevant reforms at all", said Kobakhidze.