Georgian FM: suspension of accession process EU’s responsibility, not Georgia’s

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Friday stressed that the suspension of the EU accession process was a decision of the European Union and could not be attributed to Georgia, emphasising that all instruments of enlargement lie solely with the bloc.

Botchorishvili’s remarks followed the publication of a letter from EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński to Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which proves that it was the EU - not Georgia - that suspended the integration process.

“Opening negotiations with Georgia on EU accession is the prerogative of the European Union, not Georgia. Therefore, it is absurd to blame Georgia for the suspension of the EU accession process. All instruments related to EU enlargement and Georgia’s EU accession are in the hands of the EU.

The Foreign Minister also noted that the suspension of certain EU programs was part of an EU Council decision made in June 2024.

“Regarding the programs themselves, we have repeatedly heard the EU’s decision that one mechanism of sanction would be the suspension of various programs with Georgia. This decision was made a long time ago, but to keep the issue on the political agenda, we see that periodically it is brought up again, with gradual announcements regarding the suspension of this or that program. This situation is unfortunate for us. It is not what Georgia and the Georgian Government aspire to. It is a situation which, as explained in the letter, is based on the EU Council’s decision of June 2024”, she concluded.