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Georgia suspends consultations on launch of EU accession talks until 2028

Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgian Prime Minister

28 November 2024 20:14 (UTC +04:00)

The ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party has decided to suspend consultations with the European Union on the launch of talks on Tbilisi’s EU accession until 2028, the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced at a briefing, APA reports citing TASS.

"Today, we made a decision not to put the issue of talks’ launch on the agenda until 2028. We will also decline all budget grants from the European Union until 2028," he pointed out.

According to Kobakhidze, Georgia needs to make European bureaucrats understand that they should use decent language with the country rather than employ blackmail and insults. According to him, the EU was causing damage to Georgia's reputation, using the issue of the talks’ launch as a manipulation tool. The ruling party’s decision will make it possible to escape damage, the premier noted.

The head of government also stressed that Georgia was a proud and self-respecting nation with a long history so "it's absolutely unacceptable for Georgia to see integration into the EU as charity." Moreover, in Kobakhidze’s words, Georgia and the EU could enrich each other with their culture and capacities.