EU Enlargement Commissioner apologized for words he said during telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Georgia

Աշխարհ 24 May, 2024 16:06

Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze claimed on Thursday that European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi mentioned the recent attack on Slovakia's Robert Fico in an attempt to persuade him to drop the contentious "Russian law", Euronews reports.

As tensions over the so-called "Russian law" continue to brew in Tbilisi, the EU's enlargement commissioner was forced to issue an apology after being accused by the Georgian prime minister of making threats to his life.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze claimed on Thursday that a long phone conversation between the two turned sour when the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi drew parallels between the tense situation in Georgia and the recent shooting of Slovak PM Robert Fico.

Várhelyi allegedly said, "look what happened to (Slovak PM Robert) Fico, you have to be very careful," according to Kobakhidze.

Although he wasn't directly named in Kobakhidze's Facebook post, Várhelyi issued an immediate response, claiming his intentions were misunderstood, effectively identifying himself as the unnamed EU official in question.

"I would like to express my very sincere regret that a certain part of my phone conversation was taken out of context," Várhelyi said in a statement on Thursday.

"During my phone conversation I felt the need to call the attention of the prime minister on the importance not to enflame further the already fragile situation," the EU's enlargement chief explained.

"In this regard, the latest tragic event in Slovakia was made as an example and as a reference to where such high level of polarisation can lead in a society even in Europe."

The Slovakian prime minister was shot five times in an assassination attempt after a government meeting in the central town of Handlová last Wednesday. Many, including his cabinet members, have blamed the ever-increasing political polarisation in Slovakia for the attempt on his life.