Georgia Rejects EU Enlargement Report
Georgia has strongly criticized the European Commission's recent enlargement report, labeling it as politically biased and prejudiced. The country formally rejected the assessment of its EU accession progress, accusing the EU of interfering in its internal affairs.
Official Statement from Georgian Foreign Ministry
The Georgian Foreign Ministry expressed disappointment over what it saw as unbalanced evaluations in the report. It argued the report ignored key political developments during the municipal elections in October and presented unfounded negative judgments.
The Ministry described the report as advancing "unfounded negative assessments" and ignoring recent political events.
Political Context and Protests
Following October's municipal elections, Tbilisi experienced protests, including demonstrations near the presidential residence. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze described these protests as an attempted coup. The government detained five organizers on charges related to overthrowing the government.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze characterized the protests as a "coup attempt."
Georgia criticized EU institutions for their "persisting silence" on these domestic political events, pointing to a lack of response from the bloc.
Contradictions Noted by Tbilisi
Despite the EU's negative evaluation, Georgia highlighted improvements in its international governance ratings, underlining a contradiction in the report's conclusions.
Key Points
- Georgia rejected the EU report as politically motivated.
- The report overlooked significant political developments during recent elections and protests.
- Government actions against protest organizers were labeled by the Prime Minister as a defense against a coup attempt.
- The EU was criticized for ignoring internal political events in Georgia.
- Georgia emphasized positive trends in governance indexes that conflict with the EU's negative findings.
Author’s summary: Georgia firmly disputes the EU’s latest report, accusing it of bias and interference amid political unrest and contrasting governance improvements.