Georgia's halt on EU talks: A new path toward political unrest

At the end of October, the European Commission announced the suspension of the accession process with Georgia, stating that it would not recommend its reinstatement if the authorities in Tbilisi do not begin to adhere to EU values, including clarifying irregularities during the October parliamentary elections.

On Thursday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze stated that Georgia itself is suspending membership talks until 2028. - We have decided not to address the issue of opening talks with the EU until the end of 2028 - he said, adding that by the end of 2028, the country will also renounce all EU budget grants.

According to him, Georgia is to be ready economically by the end of 2028 to start negotiations on EU membership. According to the Georgian Prime Minister, current EU accession talks "are being used as an instrument of blackmail against the country, which is unacceptable."

In various cities in Georgia, residents are taking to the streets to protest against the decision of the Georgian Dream government, and President Salome Zourabichvili, commenting on the whole situation, stated that "the illegal government has declared war on its own people." Wirtualna Polska asked Professor Grigol Julukhidze about Thursday's decision.

- It is further confirmation that Georgian Dream is almost openly pointing to its objective, which is to change the political course in favour of Russia, even abandoning formal negotiations on Georgia's Eurointegration. This process makes no sense and in my opinion is just the beginning of this very negative path for Georgia - in the context of relations with Brussels and the European Union - the professor conveyed.

Asked whether Georgia might try to join the BRICS group instead of attempting to become an EU member in the future, the expert said:

- This scenario is already being discussed, and pro-government media are testing public reactions, trying to present the BRICS group as a great alternative to the EU.

He explained that "in expert circles, everyone knows what this entails, but for the ordinary citizen, it may seem intriguing." - Now everything is related to the government's ability to achieve its own political goals through power - the entire government propaganda is based on violence and strength - he said, adding that if no social movement emerges against the government, "they will continue doing everything that Russia commands them to do."

When asked if we can expect protests in Tbilisi, he replied: - There will be protests, there will be demonstrations, but in reality, if there is no strong opposition that can achieve its own political goals and utilize the ruling team's mistakes, the chances for success are very, very slim.

- We already saw this during the parliamentary elections, where the opposition was very poorly prepared for the event and divided. I think there will be demonstrations, there will be arrests; the government currently has the upper hand because the entire administrative resources are under government control, which means no one will likely be able to change anything right now - he said.

The expert emphasized that "this is the beginning of a very deep political crisis" and referred to the decision of the Georgian Dream party, which announced on Wednesday that their presidential candidate will be politician and former footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili.

- We are talking not only about a former footballer but also about a person who does not have higher education - he said, adding: - This is a psychological operation aimed at leading the nation to the thought that nothing matters anymore - whether you have education or not. If you have such a president, the entire nation’s morale goes in a direction where nothing matters, why live and stay in this country - it's better to leave. This is a classic psychological operation dictated by Russia - he emphasized.