Will Georgia Turn Away from Europe?

Following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement to postpone EU membership negotiations until 2028, protests erupted in Tbilisi. The government also declared its intention to forgo EU budgetary grants until 2028, stating that Georgia would be economically prepared to begin membership talks by then.

In Tbilisi, police used water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters gathered outside the Georgian Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue and Chichinadze Street. The clashes resulted in injuries to three police officers and dozens of protesters, some of whom required medical attention after police deployed tear gas.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili joined the demonstrators, condemning the government’s decision and calling for new parliamentary elections. “Today, it has become clear that a constitutional coup has taken place in Georgia. This has been ongoing for months. The process of shifting the country from Europe’s orbit to Russia’s has now been completed,” she told journalists.

The developments in Georgia were analyzed on the program “Complex Issues” by political commentator Shahin Jafarli.

Jafarli argued that the government’s decision to delay EU membership negotiations and reject EU budgetary grants was foreseeable. “If we recall the pre-election rhetoric and promises of the Georgian Dream party, it becomes evident that this was the direction they were heading. They had already announced plans to prosecute opposition parties, including the United National Movement and the broader pro-Western opposition, branding them as a Western intelligence network,” he said.

Jafarli also noted that before the May 14 elections, the Georgian Parliament passed a controversial foreign agents law, signaling a deliberate effort to sabotage the country's European integration. This came despite the European Council granting Georgia official candidate status for EU membership on December 14, 2023.

According to Jafarli, the Georgian government—under the influence of former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili—has been steering the country away from the West and into Russia’s sphere of influence. He suggested that Ivanishvili aims to fully dismantle the opposition by 2028 and establish an authoritarian regime.

The political analyst highlighted the questionable legitimacy of the Georgian Parliament, where the Georgian Dream holds 89 seats while the opposition, having renounced its 61 mandates, is absent. “It’s widely believed that Georgian Dream fabricated about 10% of the votes. At a minimum, the segment of the population that voted for the opposition will not accept this system of governance,” he stated.

Jafarli underscored that the spontaneous protests demonstrate the public’s inability to accept Georgia’s abrupt shift in its development trajectory. “Yesterday’s protests are a clear indication that people will not reconcile with a 180° turn in Georgia’s direction,” he concluded.