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Robin Wagener: the European future of this region is important to us

Robin Wagener, member of the German Bundestag, became the Federal Foreign Office’s coordinator for inter-societal co-operation with the South Caucasus, the Republic of Moldova and Central Asia on March 1, 2023. In conversation with Dr. Sonja Schiffers, the Director of the regional office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation in the South Caucasus, he said that he was impressed by how many people- especially youngsters- took to the streets of Tbilisi in the beginning of March and “clearly declared their will for democracy, the rule of law and human rights”. Asked about the “foreign agents” law he said that it is incompatible with the EU values and standards and “would have blocked Georgia’s path into the EU”.

He said the protest rallies were a “clear wake-up call” for both the government and the opposition, which he said he hopes will be heard and respected. He stressed that with regard to the European path “a robust, self-aware and critical civil society and independent media constitute a basic requirement for a free and stable community”, noting that this was the message of German Foreign Minister’s Annalena Baerbock’s recent visit to Georgia. Speaking about the visit he emphasized that it carried the message that “Germany stands by Georgia’s European outlook”. He further noted that independent work of NGOs is “key element for a democratic country” that empowers its citizens to speak up for social issues, especially when it comes to human rights and that “stigmatizing this is not compatible with European ideals”.

Noting the importance of the “on-the-ground visits” because “they show how important the European future of this region is to us” Robin Wagener said he will be visiting Georgia in early summer and autumn to get to know and exchange ideas with political partners and civil society on the ground.

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This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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