Statement from Ministers of 13 EU Countries "Has No Value", Georgia's Prime Minister Says

"Foreign ministers from 4 countries took the stage and joined the revolutionary process, but this process failed. Against this background, of course, no such statement has any value," said Kobakhidze.

In this context, the Prime Minister of Georgia mentioned the elections held in Moldova and noted that the country failed the test of democracy. According to Kobakhidze, "if statements are needed from the EU side, they are needed regarding Moldova."

"To be fair, statements are needed regarding Moldova, which is a member of the CIS. More than half of the population living in Moldova opposes European integration, yet they throw ashes in our eyes and tell us that Moldova's candidate status and negotiations belong to the Georgian people, not the government. This is a shame. As soon as the war in Ukraine is over, elections will be held, and justice will be restored immediately. I am sure of it," said Irakli Kobakhidze.

The Interpress News agency published a joint statement from the ministers of European affairs of 13 EU member states regarding Georgia. The statement indicated that the European Council's decision on the de facto suspension of Georgia's EU accession was not easy to accept:

"During the past months, Georgia has adopted several laws inconsistent with the common normative framework of the European Union (acquis communautaire), particularly the law 'On Transparency of Foreign Influence.' Because of these decisions, the process of your country's integration into the European Union has been suspended. It will remain suspended as long as the current political course continues. This is what the European Council, consisting of the heads of state and government of the 27 EU member states, decided on June 27, 2024.

The developments in Georgia have led to the de facto suspension of Georgia's EU accession process. Therefore, one thing should be clear: Georgia will not be able to become a member of the European Union unless the Georgian government changes course. To interpret this clear decision even slightly differently is either delusional or simply false."

The statement also mentions that some Georgian politicians have launched an unprecedented campaign of propaganda, disinformation, outright lies, and slander against Georgia's Western partners. "They have insulted the representatives of the European Union and its member states, baselessly accusing them of plans for a coup d'état and the assassination of Georgian government officials, dark motives for dragging Georgia into wars, 'liberal fascism,' and many other things."

The joint statement, in which the European ministers call on the Georgian authorities to hold free and fair elections, is signed by:

• Belgium: Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Cultural Institutions
• Germany: Anna Lührmann, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for European and Climate Affairs
• Denmark: Marie Bier, Minister of European Affairs
• Estonia: Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Latvia: Baiba Braze, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Lithuania:Simonas Satunas, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs
• Luxembourg: Xavier Bettel, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Development Cooperation, and Humanitarian Affairs
• Poland: Adam Szlapka, Minister of European Union Affairs
• Portugal: Ines Domingos, Secretary of State for European Affairs
• France: Benjamin Adad, Minister-delegate for European Affairs
• Finland: Joakim Strand, Minister of European Affairs and Property Management
• Sweden: Jesika Rosenkranz, Minister of European Union Affairs
• Czech Republic: Martin Dvorak, Minister of European Affairs.