Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream has decided to suspend consultations with the European Union on the launch of talks on Tbilisi’s EU accession.
The country’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze announced the decision at a briefing.
The announcement came hours after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections due to “significant irregularities.”
After the October vote, a group of Georgia’s leading election monitors said they had evidence of a “complex scheme of large-scale electoral fraud” that swayed results in favour of Georgian Dream.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protest the alleged fraud.
Kobakhidze accused the European Parliament and “some European politicians” of blackmail but pledged to continue implementing the necessary reforms, asserting that “by 2028, Georgia will be more prepared than any other candidate country to open accession talks with Brussels and become a member state in 2030.”
“Today, we made a decision not to put the issue of talks’ launch on the agenda until 2028. We will also decline all budget grants from the European Union until 2028.”
Irakli Kobakhidze
Kobakhidze asserted that Georgia needs to make European bureaucrats understand that they should use decent language with the country rather than employ blackmail and insults.
According to him, the EU was causing damage to Georgia’s reputation, using the issue of the talks’ launch as a manipulation tool.
He noted that the ruling party’s decision will make it possible to escape damage.
Also, Kobakhidze stressed that Georgia was a proud and self-respecting nation with a long history so “it’s absolutely unacceptable for Georgia to see integration into the EU as charity.”
Moreover, in Kobakhidze’s words, Georgia and the EU could enrich each other with their culture and capacities. “Our goal is to achieve EU membership by 2030,” he said, adding, “It is also crucial for the EU to respect our national interests and traditional values.”
The former Soviet country officially gained EU candidate status in December 2023.
However, Brussels has effectively frozen Georgia’s accession process until Tbilisi takes concrete steps to address its democratic backsliding.
Georgia’s relations with the EU and the US started to deteriorate after the country’s parliament passed a law on foreign agents.
The European Union has repeatedly urged Tbilisi to revoke the law but the ruling party’s leaders keep insisting that the legislation’s goal is to ensure the transparency of the financial flows of non-governmental organizations active in Georgia, some of which sought to stage a revolution in the country.
The ruling party, Georgian Dream has been accused of democratic backsliding and moving Tbilisi away from Europe and closer to Moscow.
Putin Says Russia Does Not Interfere In Domestic Political Processes In Georgia
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin, in response to media questions, said that Russia does not interfere in domestic political processes in Georgia.
“At the official level, we do not interfere in domestic political processes. We don’t meddle at all. We just don’t touch this. As for Western interference, I can’t say the same about our Western ‘colleagues.'”
Vladimir Putin
Putin admitted that he was surprised at the courage and firm character which the Georgian authorities displayed recently in defending their position on the Transparency of Foreign Influence law.
“When the events in Georgia began to unfold, I was, frankly speaking, looking at them and watching all this with surprise. We have no relations with them, with the Georgian leadership. None whatsoever.
“But I just marveled at their courage and firm character, which they showed in order to defend their point of view. I will not offer an assessment of this point of view now, though.”
Vladimir Putin
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