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Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told reporters today Georgia will refuse EUR 75 million loan from the European Union, conditioned on the court reform and upholding EU-brokered April 19 deal, citing the government attempts to reduce foreign debt and avoid political insinuations.

“This issue gained a huge political significance. Thus, to avoid any insinuations, the government does not rule out, and we have decided to refrain from the second [tranche]” of the EU macro-financial assistance, the Georgian Prime Minister asserted.

He said, however, that “we are very thankful to the EU for all of the help, including during the pandemic management, and in general, for everything they have done for us.”

PM Garibashvili accused the opposition of pushing the EU towards using the conditionality mechanism, noting that “our opponents have moved to the regime of sabotage to somehow… hinder our course towards the West.”