EU-Georgia tensions escalate as ambassador reports "lowest point" in relations

The European Union's representative to Georgia has evaluated the relations between the bloc and the South Caucasus state to be at their "lowest point" at the moment.

EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński gave this somber statement during a press conference on February 28, Caliber.Az reports citing Georgian media.

"I would love to praise the Georgian government for reforms; I would love to speak positively about developments in Georgia. However, unfortunately, when it comes to Georgia-EU relations, we are currently at the lowest point," the ambassador said in a statement to journalists.

"My duty as the EU Ambassador is to represent the European Union's position. This is what I have been doing since my first day in office, and I will continue to do so in the future. I would love to praise the government for reforms; I would love to speak positively about developments in Georgia.

However, unfortunately, when it comes to Georgia-EU relations, we are currently at the lowest point. There are no longer high-level visits, we have suspended financial assistance to the government, imposed visa restrictions for diplomatic passport holders, and redirected our support from the government to civil society and independent media, which are increasingly operating under difficult conditions," Herczyński stated.

The EU representative has recently faced backlash by the Georgian government when Gia Volski, the First Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia accused Herczyński of preparing young people "for aggression, confrontation, and clashes." The critcism was a response to the EU diplomat holding meetings with Georgian youth groups and, accoring to the Georgian government, encouraging them to riot. Volski also accused the EU of having spent a "tremendous amount of money" to "mobilize young people in the process of radical protests."

In recent months EU-Georgia relations have experienced tumultuous times after the European Parliament rejected the results of Georgia’s election, which saw the Georgian Dream party dominate. The party is more vocal about their concerns regarding the country's ties to the European Union, which has caused a rift. On November 28, 2024 the ruling Georgian Dream party suspended EU accession talks.

By Nazrin Sadigova