Tbilisi, DFWatch – Swiss Ambassador’s appealed to Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, besieged by some MEPs mostly from influential European People’s Party, with an open letter which he wrote after ‘unprecedented and partisan statements of some European MPs.’

The letter of Guenther Baechler, dated March 15 and published on Tuesday, says that ‘those addresses, letters and statements do not reflect political reality in Georgia at all,’ and there is not even a need to respond to such ‘superficial assessments and as it seems concerted propaganda of some misguided European MPs.’

‘Indeed, Georgia is much freer than it ever used to be in the past and it is much freer than any country in the neighborhood,’ the letter says.

Ambassador positively rates ongoing reforms in the country, as well as steps taken in order to normalize relations with Russia and he deems it is positive when government asks opinion in civil society and discusses own mistakes with them referring to a recent meeting held between the representatives of the government and non-government organizations dedicated to discuss first hundred days of the new government’s tenure.

Wilfried Martens, the President, and members of the EPP have periodically slammed at the new government and personally Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Prime Minister accusing him reverting democratic reforms of the President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement party.

23 MEPs, mostly from the EPP, addressed Ivanishvili on March 6 criticizing his government and suggesting that it might bury the European future for Georgia.

Ivanishvili responded with his open letter on March 14. As it appears, Swiss ambassador wrote his letter to Ivanishvili the next day.

Read the full letter here.