"Georgia won't change its political vectors to pursue EU, NATO membership" Giorgi Kazhaya for Caliber.Az

Georgian political analyst and international relations analyst Giorgi Kazhaya answers Caliber.Az's questions about the European policy towards South Caucasus.

- I would like to start our interview with an urgent issue for Georgia. A number of MPs have left the ruling Georgian Dream party. Would you please clarify their decision?

- Indeed, there is a political crisis in the elite circles of the ruling party. In Georgia, polarization is reaching its peak and makes negotiations between political actors impossible. Now, after Georgia was not granted candidate status and we have seen a lot of flaws in our political system, a number of MPs left the ruling party, but not the parliament. Personally, I think this is yet another crock in Georgia's polarized system that has no effective impact on the political system and the process of democracy.

- What do you think is the main reason for Georgia's failure to gain EU candidate status?

- Georgia should have pursued an active foreign policy like Moldova and war-torn Ukraine did. Frankly speaking, there is no way Georgia will be able to implement the recommendations until December, because, firstly, it needs to have the will to solve them, and, secondly, it needs to have time to implement them, which the Georgian Dream does not have. Of course, we hope to get the status of a candidate in December, but unfortunately, the current political situation does not inspire hope.

- So, will Georgia still strive to join the EU or will its eagerness weaken?

- Georgia will not change its political vectors, because even in the Constitution it is written that we officially declare a political vector for integration into the EU and NATO. We have had a few conflicts with Russia since we declared our independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have lower inflation than many European countries, we have less corruption than many of our European neighbors and allies, and we have strengthened our army to cooperate with the NATO Response Force and we hope that these efforts will be duly appreciated.

Candidate status is not a guarantee of membership, it is solidarity, trust, and hope for cooperation between member states and candidates to realize their aspirations for the future. Georgia has gained the prospect of EU membership, and now it is the government's turn to act effectively. In addition, opposition leaders must intensify their efforts, they must align and unify the goals and the action plan of opposition parties.

We understand that the process of deoligarchization is really difficult to solve in a short period of time, but we must say that this is not only a problem in Georgia, it also exists in Ukraine and Moldova. Thus, Georgians, Moldovans, and Ukrainians must compete with each other, but they must also cooperate in order to change experience and knowledge in the process of democratization. No one asked Georgia to open a second front against Russia. The EU only wants freedom, peace, prosperity, and development for Georgia.

- And if Saakashvili had been in power, would Georgia have been given EU candidate status?

- It is illogical to talk about Saakashvili and his role in this issue because after 2012 we have a different political reality and we have to adapt it to recognize the existing problems and build a bright future for all Georgians.