Georgia halts EU talks, faces EU parliament sanctions call

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze announced on Thursday that Georgia is suspending talks with the European Union about membership in the organization until 2028. He also announced that the government will forgo EU budget grants until that time.

According to the NewsGeorgia service, by the end of 2028, Georgia "will be ready, properly prepared from an economic point of view, to start negotiations on joining the European Union in 2030," as stated.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament, in a non-binding resolution adopted on Thursday, called for sanctions and limiting contacts with the Georgian government by the EU. According to the chamber's assessment, EU restrictions should include members of the government, including its head, Irakli Kobachidze.

MEPs also condemned Russia for interfering in the election process in Georgia. They warned that if the Georgian authorities attempt to ban political parties, it would lead to further isolation of the country and hinder Georgia's efforts to join the EU.

According to the EP's assessment, the Georgian elections were neither free nor fair, resulting in Georgia moving away from the democratic path of the rule of law, for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible.

The resolution stated that the results of the elections presented by Georgia's Central Election Commission are unreliable and do not reflect the will of the Georgian voters; therefore, they should be repeated within a year.

Also on the same day, the Georgian parliament, which comprises only deputies from the ruling Georgian Dream, unanimously accepted the composition of the new government. The opposition does not participate in the chamber's work as it does not recognize the results of the October parliamentary elections.