Ruling party: Georgia ready to reset EU ties, but “cannot be crushed” under pressure

The Georgian authorities have declared readiness to reset relations with the European Union, provided that cooperation is based on equality and mutual respect, without pressure from Brussels, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has said.

According to Kaladze, Georgia reaffirms its willingness to engage in dialogue and reset relations with the European Union, Caliber.Az reports.

“Today we once again declare that we are ready for dialogue, ready to reset relations and start from a clean slate. The most important thing is that friendship and partnership be mutual, not as if Georgia is a small country that can be crushed while promoting others’ interests at the expense of Georgia and the Georgian people. That will not happen,” Kaladze said. 

He stressed that despite pressure, the government continues to fulfil its obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union and implement all necessary reforms on the path toward European integration. 

“They are simply irritated and enraged that the Georgian people defeated the evil forces that fought against the Georgian state — both in parliamentary and local elections,” Kaladze added. 

“When any European bureaucrat makes statements about our country based on lies, falsehoods, and slander, it is absolutely unacceptable. We seek friendship and partnership, but that cannot be one-sided. We are ready to build relations on a mutual basis,” the Tbilisi mayor emphasised.

Georgia has been a candidate country for EU membership since December 2023, following the signing of an Association Agreement and the introduction of a visa-free regime in 2017. To advance its integration, Brussels set nine conditions, including depolarisation, de-oligarchisation, and ensuring free and fair elections. 

Relations deteriorated in 2024 after the Georgian government adopted the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” and the “Law on Protection of Family Values and Minors,” which bans LGBT propaganda. In response, the EU suspended high-level meetings with Georgian Dream officials and froze financial assistance, effectively halting the country’s integration process. 

In November 2024, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would postpone EU accession talks until 2028. 

The EU condemned the move, accusing the ruling party of backsliding on democracy, and later suspended visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports. 

In July 2025, the European Commission warned Tbilisi that the same restriction could be extended to all citizens unless the mentioned laws were repealed — conditions the Georgian authorities deemed unrealistic.

By Jeyhun Aghazada