Britain has frozen the annual dialogue with Georgia in the security sphere and canceled other talks in the field of defense, concerned about the retreat from democratic standards in the Caucasian country. This was announced by London's ambassador to Tbilisi to Georgian media, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
"I expected us to work together to strengthen Georgia's resilience and our common well-being, but in the past year the Georgian government has chosen a different path," Ambassador Gareth Ward told the Interpress news agency.
A quick link to the interview was posted on the embassy's Facebook page. The British Foreign Office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Relations between the West and Georgia, a country of about three million people and traditionally one of the most pro-Western former Soviet republics, have been strained over the past year, especially in the run-up to elections on October 26.
Western countries have criticized Tbilisi for a law passed in May that requires all organizations that receive money from abroad to register as foreign agents. Opponents of the legislation say it is inspired by similar Russian legislation used to silence dissent.
The Georgian cabinet's actions have prompted Britain to express "concern about the decline of democracy and anti-Western rhetoric," Ward said.
London freezes annual "Wardrop" dialogue (Wardrop Dialogue – named after British diplomat Sir Oliver Wardrop, who worked in Georgia at the beginning of the last century – ed. note.) This strategic format for discussions between the Caucasian country and the United Kingdom covers a number of areas, including foreign policy, security and defense, as well as trade and economics; the interruption is the first since it began in 2014.
London is also temporarily suspending high-level defense talks and a new cybersecurity program.
Many believe that the elections later this month will be indicative of whether Tbilisi will return to the Russian orbit or continue on its European path in view of Georgia's application for EU membership.
"We hope that after the vote, no matter what the government, we will see clear evidence of a return to Euro-Atlanticism and close cooperation," Ward said.
Georgia's EU accession process was frozen shortly after the foreign agents law was passed. Earlier this month, the EU's permanent representative in Tbilisi, Pavel Herchinsky, said that the Caucasian country's relations with Brussels would suffer even more and that it could even be subject to sanctions if it continued to retreat from democratic standards and move towards becoming a "one-party state."
A week later, Moscow lifted visa requirements for Georgia and allowed its citizens to work in Russia.
The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations because of a brief war between them in 2008, but there has been a recent thaw between them, as evidenced by the resumption of air flights last year, Reuters notes.
EUROPEAN MINISTERS HAVE APPEALED WITH AN APPEAL TO GEORGIA
The European ministers of Germany, France and Poland - Anna Luhrmann, Benjamin Adad and Adam Shlapka - called on the Georgian authorities to guarantee the holding of free and fair elections, respecting the aspirations of Georgian citizens to join the European Union.
In an open letter quoted by Agence France-Presse, the ministers expressed concern about Georgia's European future ahead of the country's parliamentary elections on October 26.
The letter is titled "The European future is in your hands".
On the eve of the vote, Georgia is divided between Russian and Western influence. Close results are expected between the conservative pro-Russian ruling party and the pro-European opposition parties, AFP notes, adding that it is the controversial legislative initiatives of the current rulers from the "Georgian Dream" formation (GM) have suspended the country's EU accession process.
The speaker of the Georgian parliament recently promulgated a controversial law that restricts the rights of people with different sexual orientations. With the move, the GM emphasized its conservative course after the adoption of legislation in the summer to suppress the activities of "foreign agents", similar to the regulations in force in Russia.
The ministers from Germany, France and Poland point out in their letter that Georgia's EU accession process, which is enshrined in the country's constitution, has been halted precisely because of the policies being pursued.
The European ministers condemn the "propaganda, disinformation campaigns and outright lies" that they say some Georgian politicians are using against the West.
"Let us be clear: we look forward to welcoming you into our European family - as a member of the EU," the three European politicians say in their address to Georgian citizens.
They emphasize that Georgia is a European, pluralistic and democratic country with a multifaceted political scene, a dynamic civil society and a diverse media landscape. They also recall that in 2023 Georgia has been granted EU candidate status and they emphasize that "the door is open and will remain open".
"Georgians should be able to choose the future they want for themselves, for their children and for their children's children. We hope that this will be a choice of a European future for Georgia. The future of Georgia is in your hands," the ministers from Germany, France and Poland concluded their joint letter.
Russia, for its part, accused the West of interfering in the Georgian elections, AFP noted.
As early as October 10, the foreign ministers of France Jean-Noel Barrot, Germany Analena Berbock and Poland Radoslaw Sikorski issued a joint statement calling on the Georgian authorities to ensure that the upcoming elections in Georgia would be free and fair.
"We hope that the Georgian government will recommit to implementing the reform priorities set by the country's status as an EU candidate," they stressed, adding that they are ready to continue supporting Georgian society on its path to a European future.
PEACE IN UKRAINE WILL SMOOTH OUT CONTROVERSIES WITH THE WEST
Against this backdrop, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that, in his opinion, the war in Ukraine will end next year and then a “recharge“ will begin in Tbilisi's relations with the West, Ukrinform reported, citing the Georgian Russian-language news portal “Sova News”.
“The following is important for us: once the war in Ukraine is over – and in our opinion, this will happen next year – a recharge can begin in relations with the EU and the US. Then no one will remember such unjust resolutions (like the one of the European Parliament) anymore“, said the Prime Minister in a comment on the recently adopted EP resolution on the situation in Georgia.
In his speech, Kobakhidze added that after the end of the war in Ukraine he envisioned, Tbilisi “will carefully monitor what steps the institutions of the EU and the US will take for a (possible) restart in relations“, which, according to Kobakhidze, is necessary.
As for the possibility of sanctions being imposed on Georgia, he pointed out that “such an issue is not on the agenda at all“.
“Once the war in Ukraine is over, we will be in a completely new situation. That is why I do not want to pay attention to events of a temporary nature such as the EP resolution. "Our main, strategic task is to restart relations, and this will definitely happen next year," the Georgian Prime Minister said.