UNM parliamentary minority leader, MP Davit Bakradze, said politically motivated prosecution of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili against whom court ordered pre-trial detention in absentia, will have “negative effect” on Georgia’s NATO and EU integration.

“With this the authorities made a step which our strategic allies – the U.S. and the EU – have been warning against,” Bakradze said on August 2.

“This step [ordering pre-trial detention] will bring more polarization and confrontation, instead of unity,” he said.

“It happens when actually new world order is being formed right in front of our eyes. A new watershed is emerging amid developments in Ukraine and after downing of the passenger plane – democratic world is on the one side and Russia is on the other. At this very moment the Georgian authorities are taking a step, which our allies have been persistently warning against,” MP Bakradze said.

“We should understand very well that in such a critical situation this step will put us on the Russian side of the watershed,” he said.

“It is very regrettable that the authorities’ priority has not been to deepen ties with the EU and the U.S… instead their priority has been political persecution even at the expense of creating threat to our relationship with our [Western] allies.”

“Each and every citizen of Georgia will feel negative consequences of this step and it will have negative effects on our country’s NATO and EU membership prospects,” Bakradze said.

“We will spare no effort in order not to let authorities’ reckless steps threaten Georgia’s European future,” he added.