President: EU candidate status being used to pressure Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili has stated that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Western countries have been exerting pressure on Georgia to involve itself in the conflict.

According to El Mundo, Kavelashvili believes Georgia is being treated unfairly by the European Union, Caliber.Az reports.

“Because Georgia is a candidate [for EU membership], that fact is being used to pressure us,” he said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper.

“When the war began, it became one of the factors that triggered pressure against us from certain European and American actors. There was a demand for Georgia to also get involved in the war,” the president explained. “The demand was initially made behind the scenes. We refused, and they began provoking developments here.”

“Countries that once supported our territorial integrity began applying double standards that now threaten the unity of our country — and they have allies here,” Kavelashvili added.

He clarified that he was referring to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded by bodies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which, he said, were equipped with substantial resources.

“Pressure was applied through them,” the president added. “In Georgia, we had information that large sums of money were flowing in.”

By Tamilla Hasanova