Georgian envoy resigns after government delays EU accession talks

David Zalkaliani, Georgian Ambassador to the United States, has announced his resignation following the government’s decision to postpone negotiations on the country’s European Union membership, according to a source in Georgia’s Foreign Ministry.

In addition to Zalkaliani, Deputy Foreign Minister Teymuraz Jandzhalia has also stepped down, Caliber.Az informs via Georgian media.

Prior to these resignations, Georgian ambassadors to Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Italy—Otar Berdzenishvili, David Solomonia, and acting Ambassador Irakli Vekua—had already announced their departures.

Protests have erupted in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities since November 28, in response to the government's decision to suspend EU accession talks until 2028. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze explained that this move was prompted by what he described as unacceptable actions by European politicians, who, according to him, use grants and loans as tools of blackmail. He also criticized the European Parliament for what he called years of offensive rhetoric against Georgia.

The suspension of talks has sparked fierce criticism from the pro-Western opposition, with leaders accusing the government of "betraying national interests." President Salome Zourabichvili, a strong advocate for Georgia’s Eurointegration, condemned the government’s actions, declaring that it had "declared war on its own people, its past, and its future."

On November 28, Zourabichvili joined protesters outside the parliament building, and on November 30, she vowed not to resign, despite her mandate expiring, stating that the parliament had become "illegitimate."

By Khagan Isayev