Georgia’s ruling party official: Brussels in “sulking mode”, deliberately omits Georgia from Black Sea, Middle Corridor discussions

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Tuesday criticised a recent Brussels meeting of EU foreign ministers, noting that the EU remains in a “sulking mode” by discussing the Black Sea region and the Middle Corridor while omitting Georgia, the key country in the route.

Commenting on the EU foreign ministers’ discussion of the Union’s strategic approach to the Black Sea region, Machavariani accused certain European bureaucrats of deliberately excluding Georgia as a form of punishment for its independent policy choices.

“The ongoing approach is part of what he described as a sulking mode, and certain European bureaucrats still have not forgiven Georgia for refusing to become a proxy state in the way, he claimed, that Ukraine was used”, he said.

The official criticised references to the Middle Corridor, an international transport route connecting Asia and Europe, saying that Georgia was a central country in this corridor and should be included in relevant discussions.

“The sulking continues. They talk about Black Sea countries and mention states that do not even border the Black Sea, yet they leave out Georgia. They discuss the Middle Corridor, but they do not mention Georgia, which is the key country in that corridor. Of course, this childish behaviour will come to an end sooner or later”, Machavariani concluded.