Georgian PM criticizes EU “blackmail” against Georgia, cites Ukraine war as key factor

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday criticized the European Union for continuing to “blackmail” Georgia, claiming this pressure has been ongoing since February 2022, largely due to the war in Ukraine.

The comment came following his announcement on Thursday that the Governmnet halted EU integration until 2028.

He emphasized that the government does not expect this blackmail to stop until the conflict in Ukraine ends, which he suggested would not happen before December.

“Since February 2022, our country and the government have been under constant blackmail, and this has to do with specific interests,” he explained. “To this day, this blackmail has not stopped and we have no reason to think that this blackmail will stop in the near future.”

He further criticized what he described as a “wrong, degrading approach” by certain European Union bureaucrats and politicians toward Georgia. “This is a very sad development,” he lamented.

However, Kobakhidze reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to its European aspirations. “We are committed to our European course, but as for the artificial instruments of blackmail, and this is the issue of opening negotiations, which in practical terms does not yield anything,” he concluded.