Georgian FM: Georgian Dream party has never halted EU integration, Georgia closer to EU standards than other candidates

Georgian foreign minister Maka Botchorishvili on Wednesday said that the ruling Georgian Dream party has never suspended the country’s European integration process, arguing that Georgia is now closer to European standards in multiple areas than other candidate countries.

During an interpellation session in Parliament, Botchorishvili noted that the government was ready to launch negotiations with the European Union as soon as the EU Council makes the relevant decision. However, she said this would require the EU “bureaucracy” to return to fulfilling obligations under the Association Agreement and resume political dialogue with Georgia.

“It is a lie that the European integration process was unilaterally halted by the Georgian Dream party until 2028. On the contrary, thanks to the consistent policies of the Georgian Dream government, we can confidently say that today Georgia is much closer to European standards in various directions than other candidate countries”, the minister said.

She added that since 2012 Georgia has become “significantly more democratic and qualitatively different”, and that the country has achieved visible progress since 2014 as an EU-associated partner, arguing that this progress was reflected in European Commission reports prepared through 2025 and that even critics in Brussels acknowledged the advances when Georgia was granted EU candidate status in 2023.

Botchorishvili also referred to statements made in 2024, including remarks by the EU ambassador to Georgia following a European Council decision, which she said indicated that Georgia’s accession process had been effectively paused. She stressed that EU membership remains a strategic goal for the Georgian government and the majority of citizens, aimed at strengthening security and prosperity.

The minister reiterated the government’s position announced in late 2024 that Georgia aims to become an EU member by 2030. She noted that opening accession negotiations should not be used as a tool for political pressure, emphasising that the EU Council - not candidate countries - decides when talks begin.

At the same time, she criticised what she described as ongoing “manipulation, threats, and blackmail” regarding Georgia’s European prospects, warning that such rhetoric undermines the integration process and fuels polarisation.

Botchorishvili referenced a government statement from November 28, 2024, declaring that the authorities would not allow the country to remain under “constant blackmail and manipulation”.

“Instead of blackmail - let there be action. We are ready to launch negotiations with the European Union as soon as the European Union Council makes its decision. However, at a minimum, this requires the EU bureaucracy to return to fulfilling its obligations under the Association Agreement and to resume the political dialogue with Georgia envisaged by that agreement, which was suspended in 2024”, she stressed.

“Otherwise, any expression of concern about the European future of the Georgian people cannot be considered sincere and will only serve to polarise Georgian society, which cannot in any way be perceived or assessed by us as a gesture of goodwill”, Botchorishvili concluded.