A German government minister has suspended cooperation with his Georgian counterpart, citing a departure from the European path.
According to a letter to his counterpart, Aleksandre Tsuladze, German Federal Minister of Education and Research Cem Özdemir (Greens) has explained the decision in a statement to the press network of Germany. Özdemir justified the move by saying that since over two months, people in Georgia have been peacefully demonstrating for their European future, including numerous scientists who advocate for free science and European integration. “The freedom of science must be protected” he wrote, adding that this was the foundation of the previous cooperation between the two countries.
Özdemir continued, stating that the decision of the Georgian government to stop the accession process to the European Union and the increasing restrictions on scientific freedom in Georgia are in contradiction with the implementation of their cooperation goals. Therefore, he has decided to put on hold the planned cooperation activities with the Georgian Ministry of Science until further notice, including already agreed bilateral funding measures.
The Greens politician also intends to recommend a similar approach to the alliance of German science organizations and his European Union counterparts, as a free society is the foundation for scientific work, according to the letter.