Michael Svec: What does Vaclav Havel, whom you decorated with the Order of Saint George, mean to you?

Mikheil Saakashvili: There are two ways of escaping Communism - the way of Milosevic and the way of Havel. It appears that Havel’s way is the most acceptable. He still remains as a symbol of a person who defends his values in every situation and such people are very rare in the today’s world. 

This is a person who will never agree to cynical realpolitik. He has always defended his ideals. The fact that such a political leader exists is a great inspiration for all of us.

Michael Svec: How would you assess the Georgian-Czech relations?

Mikheil Saakashvili: Excellent. It is very important that the Czech Republic supports our efforts for joining the EU and NATO. For example, the fact that the larger nations of the EU are saying for the first time that Georgia must become the member of the EU is the result of the efforts by the Czech Republic and other Central and Eastern European allay countries. The Czech Republic played a major role in forming this group of allay states.

Michael Svec: Does today’s environment make accepting Georgia in the EU easier?

Mikheil Saakashvili: Considering the fact that the European Union is in crisis now, the idea of expansion is not very popular. But on the other hand, the fact that the new member states are more successful than the older ones proves that expansion brings positive results. We always feel the support of the Czech Republic. That is one of the reasons I am here.