EU policy towards Georgia has failed, ruling party MP

Georgia’s ruling-party MP Levan Makhashvili has accused Brussels of pursuing a failed policy towards Georgia, saying it has damaged the European Union’s strategic interests.

Speaking during a parliamentary plenary session on Tuesday, Makhashvili, chairman of the Georgian parliament’s Committee on European Integration, said recent remarks by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and other officials at an EU Council meeting showed that Brussels needed to reconsider its approach.

He said Georgia remained ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and called on EU representatives to return to the negotiating table.

“Today is a time for dialogue, not isolation,” Makhashvili said, adding that Brussels needed to clarify whether it genuinely supported Georgia’s European integration or expected political submission from the country.

Makhashvili also criticised an Europe Day event organised by the EU Delegation in Georgia’s Kakheti region. Questioning the participation of people he accused of insulting Georgians, he challenged EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski over the event’s “political message.”

He further criticised the European Parliament, calling on it to stop “confrontational rhetoric” and “unjustified interference” in Georgia’s domestic affairs.

The lawmaker said the EU should respect Georgia’s sovereignty and the will of its people, as expressed in parliamentary elections, before meaningful dialogue could resume.