Georgian PM: EU denial of candidate status linked to refusal to join war against Russia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said that the EU's decision to deny Georgia candidate status for EU membership in 2022 was directly linked to the country's refusal to participate in the war against Russia.

In a recent statement to journalists, Kobakhidze explained that the refusal to grant Georgia candidate status in June 2022 came after Tbilisi's decision not to engage in the conflict, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

"The reason we were denied candidate status in June 2022 was our refusal to go to war. They denied us the candidate status, and soon after, there was an attempt at a revolution. We remember all of this very well," he said.

Kobakhidze also revealed that during closed-door negotiations following the start of the war in Ukraine, Western officials directly pressured Georgian authorities to involve the country in the war against Russia.

"We cannot fully disclose what happened behind closed doors, but there were direct discussions about involving Georgia in the war [against Russia] and even transitioning to guerrilla warfare after occupation. They spoke openly about all of this with us," he added.

Despite the initial setback, Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, marking a significant step in its path towards potential membership. 

On February 25, 2022, Irakli Garibashvili, the then prime minister of Georgia, announced that the country would not impose sanctions on Russia, citing national interests as the reason. In early March of the same year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recalled Ukraine's ambassador from Tbilisi and described the Georgian government's stance as immoral for refusing to impose sanctions on Russia.

By Naila Huseynova