Georgian PM: EU, US suspension of defence aid thwarts hopes for relationship reset

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Prime Minister, on Thursday expressed disappointment over the recent decisions by the European Union and the US to suspend defence aid to Georgia following the ruling Georgian Dream’s move earlier this year to adopt the controversial foreign influence transparency law. 

He claimed the actions undermined the Georgian government’s expectations of resetting relations with Western allies.

“First of all, I would like to respond to the decision of the US and the European Union to suspend the allocation of funds in the field of defence. This decision is unfortunate to the extent that it does not meet our expectations regarding the reset of relations,” noted Kobakhidze. 

He emphasised the need for a reset in relations with the US, stating, “In the light of the political events of the past four years, these relations really need to be reset. Our state, our government is ready from the beginning to the end and is waiting for the next steps. Of course, such decisions are counterproductive in terms of resetting relationships. I hope that pragmatic, rational, correct, and fair steps will be taken in the future, contributing to restarting relations between the US and Georgia. We are ready for this from beginning to end.”

On July 9, during the conference in Tbilisi titled Enlargement of the European Union – Geopolitical Need and Further Steps for the Candidate Countries of the European Union, the EU Ambassador to Georgia said that the process of Georgia’s EU accession is currently at a standstill. He said the decision was made by the EU leaders at the recent European Council meeting. According to the diplomat, the EU had suspended support for Georgia from the European Peace Fund (EPF), which included an allocation of 30 million euros for the Georgian Defense Forces by 2024.

In December 2023, Georgia received candidate status for the European Union, with nine steps outlined to start accession negotiations. However, on May 28, the Georgian Parliament adopted the so-called Agents’ Law, which the EU and other partners view as incompatible with European integration.

On July 5, it was announced that as part of the review of its relationship policy with Georgia, the US has indefinitely postponed the Noble Partner military exercises planned with Georgia, which had been hosted since 2016. According to an official statement from the United States Department of Defense, the decision is due to Georgia’s “false accusations against the United States and other Western entities.”