Georgian FM accuses Brussels of interfering in internal affairs, promoting ‘managed disinformation campaigns’

Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Maka Botchorishvili, has criticized the European Union, claiming Brussels had repeatedly interfered in Georgia’s internal affairs in ways that have damaged bilateral relations. Speaking on Imedi LIVE this week, Botchorishvili said Georgia had become “the best example” of such interference.

According to her, this involvement had at times taken “a very rough form,” negatively affecting Georgia’s ties with both the EU and Brussels institutions.

Botchorishvili also highlighted what she described as the EU bureaucracy’s different attitude toward the United States, noting that when the issue concerned Washington, “the messaging and positioning suddenly changes.”

She said this reflected the “unfortunate reality” within today’s Brussels.

“We are a European country. Our position has always been that if we want - and we do want - to be part of the European Union, which represents the face of Europe today, then naturally we also want the EU to be strong and to be the kind of union we aspire to join,” Botchorishvili said.

While acknowledging that recent developments within the EU were “difficult to watch,” she expressed hope that relations could still improve. “We hope things will change, and that Brussels will no longer continue ignoring reality,” she said.

Botchorishvili insisted that Georgia’s government acted solely based on national interests, even when this led to criticism.

“For our society, it has long been clear that the Georgian government makes its decisions strictly according to our national interests. That is our starting point,” she noted.

She added that many of the compromises Georgia made recently “became the basis for attacks and criticism” from various actors.

“My national interest may not coincide with someone else’s national interest – and that is where conflict begins. But in this conflict, I am right, because I am defending Georgia’s national interests. This government shapes its policy based on those interests,” she said.

Addressing a recent BBC documentary on alleged use of a banned substance against demonstrators in Tbilisi late last year, Botchorishvili called it “another attack on Georgia and its government,” describing it as part of a coordinated disinformation effort.

According to her, although the initiators changed, “the actors are always the same.”

She further recalled previous campaigns she believed were orchestrated against Georgia, including what she referred to as the “Free Misha [arrested former president Saakashvili]” narrative and claims about the condition of Georgia’s former president.

“There were campaigns that began with statements from Georgian politicians, and then were amplified by media outlets, NGOs, and international media. At other times, foreign politicians or diplomats were at the forefront. Now we are seeing an example where a foreign media outlet is the origin of the campaign,” Botchorishvili said.

She argued that all of these campaigns shared the same goal: to harm Georgia’s national interests and discredit the government.

 “This is the same kind of campaign - an attempt to create a harsh, distorted picture to reinforce a narrative that punishes the Georgian government simply because it makes decisions based on national interests and refuses to follow a line that would harm our country,” she concluded.