Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has lashed out at the members of the European Parliament over the letter, in which MEPs Andrius Kubilius, Rasa Jukneviciene, Riho Terras, Miriam Lexmann and Sandra Kalniete said, that "the fact, that in Georgia the leader of the opposition and former President Mikheil Saakashvili is in jail, raises the question about political nature of the persecution."

The MEPs called for Saakashvili’s release while the European Court of Human Rights is considering his case.

Responding to journalists, the PM stated “neither [MEP Anna] Fotyga nor [MEP Andrius] Kubilius, nor anyone else, represent anything for myself or our country. [...] Let everyone take care of their own country, nobody can stand in the way of fulfilling the law and justice in this country.”

Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus and Co-Chair of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, MEP Marina Kaljurand told the Accent that "polarizing statements from any political leader are not in the interest of Georgian internal politics nor relations with the EU.".

"I continue to encourage all political leaders to put Georgia's interests above party interests and focus on fulfilling their responsibilities to the country and people," she added.

According to Kaljurand, the EU expects that all principles of the rule of law to be followed in Saakashvili's case.

"MEPs are of course free to make their own statements. I was also asked to sign the letter but I chose not to. We are closely following what Georgian officials, including the Georgian Prime Minister, are saying and doing. As are we following the case of the former President Saakachvili. Georgia is a democratic country and, as such, we expect all principles of the rule of law and of the need for a fair judicial process to be followed in this case," she said.