FM says some MEPs used Georgia’s EU integration as tool for Gov't change

During a session of the temporary parliamentary investigative commission, Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Wednesday was heard regarding actions by certain political figures from 2012 to 2025 that allegedly harmed the country’s foreign policy objectives.
Botchorishvili, who previously served as the Chair of the European Integration Committee in the earlier convocation of the Parliament, provided testimony on the challenges Georgia faced on its European integration path, particularly after submitting its EU membership bid in 2022.

Reflecting on that period, Botchorishvili recalled several meetings where it was made clear to Georgian officials that, unlike Ukraine and Moldova, Georgia was unlikely to receive candidate status.

“I recall numerous meetings after submitting our bid, where we were told outright: ‘You submitted your application, but now watch - Moldova and Ukraine will get candidate status, and Georgia will be the country that does not’. This was around March, shortly after we submitted our bid. Let’s see what the 85 percent of the Georgian population that supports EU integration will demand as an answer from the ruling Georgian Dream Government”, the Foreign Minister said.

She also expressed concern about how some Members of the European Parliament approached Georgia’s EU integration aspirations, suggesting that for some, the issue was used as a political tool to force a change of government in Georgia by any means necessary.