Georgian PM: Achieving full EU-membership remains government’s goal

Georgia’s Prime Minister has reaffirmed that the government’s objective remains full membership in the European Union.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze emphasised this stance during an interview with Türkiye’s TRT World, as cited by Georgian media outlets.

Responding to a question about whether Georgia would need to choose between closer relations with the European Union, Russia, China, or the United States, Kobakhidze stated:

“I don’t think we have to make any special choices. We have a pro-Western vision, and our goal is to become a full member of the European Union. This is a very strategic and very clear goal," he stressed.

Kobakhidze further underscored the importance of the European Union leveraging Georgia’s role to strengthen cooperation with the East, pointing to the economic challenges currently facing the bloc. He noted that the EU’s share of the global economy stood at 30 per cent in 2008 but has since dropped to 17.5 per cent. “So you see how acute the economic problems are for the European Union,” Kobakhidze said.

He went on to address the shifting dynamics in trade following the EU’s loss of access to the Russian market.

“[...] since 2021, the European Union has had no access to the Russian market, which was an economically important market for the European Union. They have also lost access to cheap natural resources. In this situation, of course, the European Union should try to expand economic cooperation with the East, with the Asian market, and Georgia can play a very important role for the European Union in this regard,” the Prime Minister highlighted.

Acknowledging that the EU’s current approach toward the Georgian government is “somewhat different and counterproductive,” Kobakhidze expressed confidence that Georgia will achieve EU membership by 2030 “, when it becomes realistic for us.”

By Nazrin Sadigova