The current leadership of Georgia are pragmatists who understand the negative consequences of the country’s accession to the European Union, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Izvestia on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"The current Georgian leadership is pragmatic, they confirm their course towards the European Union, but they understand that then they will have to stop being a country that is famous for its produce," the Russian Foreign Minister said.
"Any agricultural country that joined the European Union during the second or third wave of enlargement lost its agriculture, because the EU has ‘masters’ who have their own agriculture, their own peasants, their own interests.
"Any agricultural country that joined the European Union during the second or third wave of enlargement lost its agriculture, because the EU has ‘masters,’ who have their own agriculture, their own peasants, their own interests."
The head of the Russian diplomatic department said that 70% of Georgia's trade is now with Russia and other CIS countries, and significant shares are also with China and other countries. "All this will be called into question if Georgia joins the European Union, knowing what requirements Brussels puts forward for new recruits," he explained. "Not to mention the demand to join the sanctions against Russia, the demand to recognize all the foreign policy actions of the European Commission, and so on."
In addition, Lavrov noted that "by and large, relations between Russia and Georgia are maintained on a regular basis," and Russian tourists like to travel to Georgia and "enjoy the Georgian nature and Georgian hospitality."
