Georgian Dream Says Economic Progress Matters More Than EU Criticism of Georgia

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party says the country’s economic performance, political stability and public support are more important than criticism from European officials, accusing some EU politicians of ignoring what it describes as Georgia’s measurable progress.

Irakli Kirtskhalia, leader of the parliamentary majority in Georgia, made the remarks during an interview with Imedi TV, arguing that international economic assessments often contradict political statements and resolutions issued by European politicians.

“There are figures that no one can escape. We can see assessments by their own respected international organisations at 11 a.m., and four hours later, Rasa Juknevičienė comes forward with a meaningless resolution declaring Saakashvili a political prisoner,” Kirtskhalia said.

He was referring to Lithuanian politician Rasa Juknevičienė, a member of the European Parliament, and former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose imprisonment has been a subject of political controversy and international criticism.

According to Kirtskhalia, such contrasting assessments reflect what he described as a crisis in the European Union’s approach to Georgia.

“This demonstrates the agony of their foreign policy. It shows that they have lost touch with what society wants, where the country is heading and how it is developing,” he said.

The ruling party official argued that Georgia’s economic growth, increasing state budget and what he described as a pragmatic foreign policy were the most important indicators of the government’s performance.

“What matters most is that our society appreciates our country’s progress, economic development, peace and pragmatic policies, which translate into economic growth and a state budget that increases year after year,” Kirtskhalia said.

He stressed that the views of Georgian citizens carried greater weight for him and his political party than assessments made by European politicians.

“For our team, and for me personally, what matters first and foremost is how my fellow citizens assess our work,” he said.

Kirtskhalia also drew a distinction between political criticism and economic data, suggesting that international organisations’ statistical assessments presented a different picture from the political conclusions reached by some European officials.

“There are two dimensions to their approach. One is political, and we can see the rhetoric they use. The other is technical — the hard figures that no one can ignore. Even their own respected international organisations cannot escape those figures,” he said.

He accused European politicians of disregarding economic indicators while continuing to adopt resolutions criticising Georgia over democratic governance and the treatment of opposition figures.

The parliamentary majority leader maintained that the Georgian government’s policies were being judged primarily by the country’s population and that public assessments of economic performance and stability remained central to Georgian Dream’s political approach.