The Georgian authorities have a responsibility to act if former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s health is in a critical condition, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn told the European Parliament on 2nd February.
Speaking on behalf of the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Johannes Hahn noted that, “it is in everyone’s interest that the Georgian authorities consider drawing on medical expertise from an independent, uncontested, international organisation.”
According to the Commissioner, the EU has frequently raised the issue both with the Georgian authorities directly, as well as in its public statements following numerous reports on Saakashvili’s deteriorating medical condition.
“Most recently, on 28 December, our European Union Delegation together with the European Union Member States represented in Georgia, carried out a formal démarche vis-à-vis the Minister of Justice. This was followed up with a dedicated meeting with the Ministry of Justice by our European Union Ambassador in Georgia. In these instances, and in all previous occasions, we have repeated that it is the Georgian authorities’ responsibility to take all necessary measures to protect Mr Saakashvili’s health,” Hahn told the European Parliament.
Story: EU NEIGHBOURS east
Image: By European People's Party – EPP Political Assembly, 5 February 2019, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79786423
