Nika Melia’s case will complicate the possibility of finding a common language and will further postpone the date of the fifth round. Such a stateme t made today the EU Ambassador to Georgia.

“I will not comment on the judicial case itself, which is an ongoing case and that has to be respected by everyone. But what I will say is that, of course, what I’ve seen over the last couple of days, is that the temperature again is rising very rapidly in the political landscape.

I see the risk that with the current developments and the current trajectory, we might be going into something more of an entrenchment rather than something that is temporary. I fear that this case and the discourse around it will also have a wider impact on the political landscape of what is possible and what will not be possible in terms of finding common ground and common solutions.

Now, with regard to the ingredients of the current situation. I want to highlight two issues. One is the factor of distrust and disrespect of the judiciary. The other one is a very high degree of polarization. Together these two factors become a combustible mix. And I find that troublesome. I think it is a dangerous trajectory for Georgia and for Georgian democracy. So I would encourage all actors now to make statements, take action with as much prudency as possible, with a view not to further ignite the current situation”, - said Carl Hartzell.