Estonian Foreign Ministry summons Georgian ambassador

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. Photo: Madis Veltman

The Estonian Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned Georgian Ambassador Zurab Khamashuridze to discuss violence against Georgian citizens, opposition leaders, and journalists, and the hostile statement by Georgia's ruling party about Estonia.

«Today's statements by the authoritarian government and the chairman of Georgia's parliament are unacceptable, hostile and full of lies,» Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said according to spokespeople for the ministry. «It is regrettable that representatives of the country whose sovereignty, territorial integrity and progress towards Europe has been supported by Estonia for nearly 30 years indulges in hostile rhetoric about Estonia's sovereignty, thereby repeating Russia's talking points,» Tsahkna said.

The meeting with the ambassador also covered the parliamentary elections held in Georgia, and the preceding and following period. International election monitoring organizations have confirmed the occurrence of widespread violations and the government of Estonia expressed its position in a statement by the Estonian minister.

At the meeting, it was stressed to the ambassador that the brutal dispersal of protests on the streets of Georgia was unacceptable and ran counter to human rights.

«Under the rule of law, Estonia cannot tolerate this. We have made relevant statements and imposed sanctions in the form of entry bans on 25 politicians and senior officials who are responsible for the violence,» Tsahkna said. «The decision by the ruling party to halt Georgia's European integration has shocked people and inspired them to take to the streets to express their views and they have the right to do so.»