Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobahidze said on Saturday that Georgia's membership in the European Union by 2030 is quite realistic, despite current problems, MTI reported.
Pawel Herczynski, the European Union ambassador to Tbilisi, announced on July 9 that the European Union has suspended Georgia’s EU accession process, citing a foreign agents law adopted by the Caucasus country’s parliament and the “anti-Western rhetoric” of the Tbilisi government.
In addition, the EU has also frozen financial support of €30 million (11.8 billion forints) to Tbilisi for 2024. The EU had granted Tbilisi official candidate status last year.
By 2030, Georgia will be more prepared for EU accession than other candidate countries. We will continue to take appropriate measures. I am convinced that our EU accession by 2030 is quite realistic.
The Prime Minister stressed, adding that he is optimistic about future relations with the European Union.
The prime minister said he expected a significant improvement in relations with the United States from 2025 onwards. “We want to deepen our relations with the United States as much as possible, which we have already spoken about several times. We are completely open. The most important thing is to see reciprocal steps,” he added.
The US Department of Defense announced on July 5 that the joint Georgian-US military exercises scheduled for this summer would be postponed indefinitely due to a review of strategic relations. The decision was justified by the fact that Tbilisi accused Washington and Western countries of wanting to open a “second front” to pressure Russia over Ukraine, which the US side called wrong.
The United States also froze aid.
After indefinitely postponing the Noble Partner 2024 military exercises, the United States has frozen its aid to Georgia, Uzra Zeya, the U.S. Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, told Georgian journalists on Friday.
“The United States has frozen its aid to Georgia, and the country’s integration into the European Union has been halted,” the foreign minister said in a summary of his visit to Georgia. He added that the United States is concerned about the anti-democratic actions of the Georgian authorities, which undermine the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Caucasus republic.
“The United States is deeply concerned about the anti-democratic actions of the Georgian government and the disinformation spread by some representatives of the ruling party (Georgia State – Democratic Georgia), which undermine Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path,” the Secretary of State said.
