As Hartzell told reporters in Batumi, prisoners' rights and conditions of detention must be protected, which must meet the highest standards of international law.

As for the statement of the Prime Minister, Irakli Gharibashvili, according to which Georgia "neither Fotyga nor Kubilius can dictate us what to do - let everyone look after their country", Hartzel said he could not make an assessment.

Hartzell noted that the MEPs who signed the letter play an important role in the work of the European Parliament and in the EU's foreign policy, as well as in relation to Georgia and the Eastern Partnership countries.