Expert: Europe won't let Georgia go since big money invested

Protests and pressure from Europe only increase Georgian society's skepticism toward the EU. But the West has invested too much in Georgia to simply back away.

Archil Sikharulidze, political expert (Georgia):

"Europe cannot leave Georgia in peace. If it wanted to, it would have done so long ago. Europe clearly understands that Georgia is important for expansion. The fact is that if an international actor is not expanding, then it must at least develop internally. We understand that the European Union's internal development has stalled; it needs new resources: labor force, new geographic space to promote its ideas, its ideology, and so on. In this context, Europe has invested heavily in Georgia, so it is forced to at least defend its interests, at least nominally."