Mayor of Tbilisi linked non-issuance of EU candidate status to position on Russia

Georgia did not receive the status of a candidate member of the European Union due to the fact that the country did not join the sanctions against Russia, the general secretary of the ruling party Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia, the mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, told reporters.

“The refusal to grant candidate status was a political decision, and the society understood very well why this happened. The government of Georgia is a problem for them, because it does not join the sanctions, does not start a war, does not open a “second front” in the country,” said he (TASS quote).

According to him, the authorities of the republic are carefully working on the implementation of 12 recommendations that are necessary to obtain the status.

In June 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on granting the status of candidates for EU accession to Ukraine and Moldova as soon as possible. According to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, Georgia can get the status of a candidate after fulfilling a number of conditions. “The Council has decided to recognize the European perspective of Georgia, it will be able to obtain candidate status as soon as a number of conditions are met. The future of Georgia is connected with the EU,” he added.

At the end of November, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky said that the EU member states would decide on granting Georgia the status of a candidate member of the bloc by the end of 2023. He noted that the EU is monitoring the implementation of 12 recommendations that are necessary to obtain the status.

After the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, Georgia refused to impose sanctions against Russia. The country’s authorities explained this decision by national interests. In November, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili again stressed that the republic was not going to follow anyone’s directives. He noted that the Georgian authorities “will do what the country needs.”

Despite refusal From military aid, Tbilisi sends humanitarian aid to Ukraine and provides political support to Kyiv. In early October, Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine in Georgia Andrey Kasyanov said that Georgia had transferred more than 1,100 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.