Confrontation in front of the EU Office | The first statement of Carl Hartzel

On September 23, in front of the EU Office, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzel, issued a statement, which is invariably offered:

Yesterday, in order to talk about the current election process, together with the EU member states, I hosted individual meetings with the leaders of the political parties, as it often happens before the elections.

I am sorry that in front of the representative office, the leaders of the two parties expressed aggression towards each other. However, I welcome the fact that one of them further apologized to the public and called for calm.

I was also alarmed by the security situation created after the confrontation in front of the office, about which I had to communicate with the relevant state services. Let me reiterate the message I expressed last week - I condemn the facts of violence in the pre-election context and call for their prompt and in-depth investigation; I also ask the parties to show restraint.

On Election Day, which will be held in Georgia next week, all voters should be given the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights and to vote freely, peacefully and in an environment free of violence or pressure. The Georgian government and political parties have an important responsibility to ensure that this right is exercised," Carl Hartzel said in a statement.