The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly has directly referred to the Georgian Dream government as “self-appointed.” Responding to the resolution on November 1, Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated that “Georgia’s permanent parliamentary delegation will not participate in Euronest’s future sessions.”
What stage has the European Union’s relationship with the Georgian Dream government reached?
“Instead of thinking about what more we can do for EU integration, what new mechanisms or formats we can create, and what additional steps we can take, we are instead boycotting mechanisms that already exist,” says foreign policy analyst Nikoloz Khatiashvili.
Batumelebi spoke with Nikoloz Khatiashvili, a foreign and security policy researcher at GeoCase and a former diplomat.
Mr. Khatiashvili, what was the most important message for you in the latest resolution of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly? The resolution calls the Georgian Dream government ‘self-appointed.’
The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly plays a very important role in Georgia–EU integration. This platform was established within the Eastern Partnership framework and for the past 14 years has consistently played a significant role in Georgia’s European integration process.
The resolution reflects many issues, including the core problems facing the country. These relate to political prisoners, the failure to conduct democratic elections, and authoritarian, non-democratic legislation that contradicts EU values. All of this is, of course, a reflection of what is happening inside the country.
Unfortunately, we do not see any concrete steps being taken to correct these problems. It is logical that the European Union issues specific tasks that must be fulfilled, but the situation is the opposite. Georgian Dream not only fails to implement them, it adopts laws and takes actions that push the country backwards in the EU integration process.
We see that Georgian Dream is trying in various ways to distance Georgia from Europe. In the context of Georgian Dream’s isolation from the West, what does such a sharp and critical resolution actually change?
When you are a small country like Georgia and have the ambition to become an EU member, to establish yourself within the system of international relations and become a meaningful player in the Western world, but at the same time take steps that harm you, this is, of course, extremely damaging.
This is not only about Euronest. Other parliamentary assemblies and international organizations have prepared quite critical reports on Georgia in recent times.
Instead of listening to criticism, Georgian Dream speaks about boycotts. Clearly, this harms our future strategic goals.
Euronest, along with other international organizations, plays a crucial role in implementing our foreign policy priorities. Euronest is an especially important format for Georgia–EU relations, helping advance economic, social, and political integration with the EU. Every recommendation and statement issued by Euronest deserves close attention.
In this case as well, Euronest identified the problems and challenges present in the country, which in reality represent obstacles to EU integration.
Instead of thinking about what we can do to advance EU integration, what new mechanisms or formats we can create, and how to take more steps forward, the government is boycotting existing mechanisms. This will undoubtedly be damaging both in the short and long term for Georgia–EU relations and the integration process.
The same resolution mentions the possible suspension of visa-free travel for a targeted group in Georgia that supports authoritarianism. Should we expect visa-free travel to be suspended for Ivanishvili’s circle rather than for the country as a whole?
The enlargement report will be very important, as EU decisions will largely depend on it. We have already heard statements from Kallas, the Vice-President of the European Commission, that several options are being considered in the Georgian context.
The EU will also take into account the resolutions adopted in recent months, including those of the European Parliament and Euronest. Based on all this, specific decisions will be made. Visa-free suspension should not be ruled out, although other mechanisms may also be activated. We will have to wait and see.
The language used toward Georgian Dream in the resolution is particularly harsh. Elections are described as “rigged,” and Euronest refers to Georgia’s “self-appointed government.” What stage has the EU’s relationship with what is described as an illegitimate Georgian Dream government reached? Can we expect sanctions from individual European countries against Ivanishvili’s government?
The text of the resolution is indeed very severe. However, when we speak specifically about the parliamentary dimension, it tends to be more politicized and features harsher statements than decisions made by the EU’s executive structures.
It is clear that the EU sees the situation in Georgia very well, including the existence of political prisoners, which is a serious blow to democracy. The assembly also mentioned Mzia Amaghlobeli and called for her immediate release.
Under these conditions, it is unimaginable that we will make progress in EU integration. Everyone knows the values on which the EU is founded, and if you want to become a member, you must act according to those rules.
When the war began in Ukraine, a window of opportunity opened for Georgia in terms of EU integration. The process accelerated, and we received candidate country status. The EU is doing everything it can to show that its door is open to Georgia and that it is up to us to take the necessary steps and walk through that door. Unfortunately, in recent times this relationship has become one-sided.
Nevertheless, the EU continues to support the choice of the Georgian people and is trying to create new opportunities or reset relations so that engagement can be restored.
Does this resolution indicate that the EU no longer considers relations with Georgian Dream at all? Georgian Dream has also responded by announcing a boycott of the assembly.
The Euronest statement is not the official position of the European Union. Euronest has periodically used such language in the past.
From the EU, we still hear statements that relations could be restored if political prisoners are released and anti-democratic laws are repealed. There has been no such direct language from the European Commission regarding legitimacy.
Naturally, if the anti-democratic process continues, bridges will collapse and the European Commission and other institutions will further harden their positions. At this stage, they still leave some room for maneuver, allowing for the possibility that something positive might happen.
However, when political prisoners are not released and even more anti-democratic laws are adopted, this becomes a very alarming trend.
The EU clearly sees the will of the Georgian people. EU membership is not the decision of a specific government, it is the will of the Georgian people, which has a historical character. Around 80 percent of Georgia’s citizens support EU integration, and Georgia’s European path spans centuries. It is our endemic and natural state.
What happens in the EU is always dependent on the will of the people. Accordingly, the EU stands with the Georgian people. I believe this approach will continue in the future, with the EU maintaining its support for the public. We have repeatedly heard statements from Kaja Kallas, from EU member state ambassadors in Georgia, and from the EU ambassador, confirming that this process continues and that the EU supports Georgian society and the Georgian people.