Kallas: Foreign minister did not discuss taking part in Georgia protests with us

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) on Wednesday did not say if she approved Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna's appearance at an anti-government protest in Georgia but said it was not discussed with the coalition beforehand.
Kallas made the comments in response to a question from Center MP Lauri Laats, who asked if she thought it was appropriate behavior and if it had been pre-agreed.
Tsahkna did not discuss the issue with the government, the prime minister said.
"Did the foreign minister discuss attending the protest? No, he didn't discuss it, but what is clear is that from the moment we granted EU candidate status to Georgia, the kind of steps they are taking with these reforms, going in the wrong direction, it is no longer a domestic Georgian issue, it is actually the credibility of the whole European Union that is at stake here," Kallas said.
"I will not judge the performance. Of course, the style is up to each person, but the fact that the foreign ministers, then the foreign ministers of the Baltic countries and the Icelandic foreign minister, went to Georgia to express solidarity with the Georgian people – I think that is the right thing to do, to actually show that Europe is on the side of the Georgian people's choices," she said.
Hard to argue with the whole nation. #Georgia is part of Europe! pic.twitter.com/4bDSNx6Lnv
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) May 15, 2024
Tsahkna, who is also Eesti 200's chairman, visited Tbilisi on May 15 with his counterparts from Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland after the Georgian parliament adopted a "Russian-inspired" which can be used to restrict civil society and media critical of the government.
Four of the ministers joined protests against the law and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and Tsahkna addressed the crowds from a stage.
The speaker of the Georgian Parliament sharply criticized the foreign ministers' behavior and said that it violated Georgia's sovereignty.
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Editor: Valner Väino, Helen Wright