Macron on European Integration: Georgia Can Postpone It, But Why?

According to Macron, Georgia cannot hope to move forward on its European path if peaceful demonstrations are suppressed with disproportionate force, if civil society organizations, journalists, and opposition party members are harassed, and if freedom of expression and assembly are not protected.

“I want to believe that there is a way, in line with the country’s European aspirations, to engage in open, respectful dialogue with all political forces and civil society organizations. This dialogue is the responsibility of all Georgians. It must allow them to take their destiny into their own hands. This path is yours. That is why I have great confidence in the Georgian people and in everyone who values this respected European path and does not want to yield to intimidation, propaganda, cyberattacks, and information manipulation,” Macron said.

The French President emphasized that the choice of the European path is a sovereign decision of the Georgian people, and this choice is being peacefully expressed today in Tbilisi and in several dozen cities across the country. Emmanuel Macron noted that last year, by granting Georgia candidate status, the European Council gave a positive response to this aspiration.

“This choice implies the fulfillment of certain duties and obligations over time.

The path is set. Georgia can now work hand in hand with the 27 EU Member States, with confidence, to build this European future, or it can wait and postpone - but what is there to wait for, and why?

I return to what this European choice is. The EU does not oblige. Europe offers, by setting out a path of equal partnership, prosperity, and shared values. Europe does not intimidate; it does not use threats. Europe does not seek to sow chaos, destabilize, or subjugate its neighbors through war or hybrid means. It does not seek to sow division or confusion among its citizens.

The European Union respects the sovereign will of peoples, the history and identity of nations, such as the thousand-year history of the Georgian people. The European Union does not dictate what is in the national interest. It respects territorial integrity, particularly that of Georgia. The European Union does not support separatists in your country.

The European Union is a peace project that has been the foundation of Europe’s construction since its inception. The European Union has not launched an aggressive war against a sovereign state,” Macron stated.

According to the French President, Europe represents solidarity, the choice of peace, and the collective defense of common strategic interests as one family.

“Europe is not blackmail; it is the acceptance of rules as a means of resolving disagreements. Georgia must decide its own destiny. And for this, the voice of the Georgian people must be heard and respected... We stand by you in support of your European and democratic aspirations,” Macron said.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili thanked Emmanuel Macron for his support. According to Zourabichvili, Europe is the free choice of the Georgian people, and the people have not given a mandate to the Georgian Dream to deviate from this path.

On November 28, illegitimate Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would not place the issue of opening EU accession negotiations on the agenda until the end of 2028 and would refuse EU budget funding. For more than two weeks, protests have been held in Tbilisi and the regions against this decision by the Georgian Dream.