PM Kobakhidze accuses EU bureaucracy of ‘unfairness’ towards Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused the “European bureaucracy” of unfair treatment towards Georgia and claimed strained relations between Tbilisi and the European Union stem from double standards and political interference.

Speaking at a briefing at the Government Administration, Kobakhidze said healthy relations could not exist without fairness and mutual respect.

“The main problem in relations between Georgia and the European Union was created by unfairness - unfair treatment towards the Georgian people and the Georgian state,” he said.

Kobakhidze argued that Georgia was the “leading” EU candidate country in terms of democratic progress, economic development, institutional performance and low corruption levels, but claimed that European officials nevertheless sought political change in Georgia after the government refused to become involved in the war in Ukraine.

He further noted the European diplomats interfered directly in Georgia’s domestic political processes, including the 2024 parliamentary elections.

“The EU ambassador directly called on Georgian voters to mobilise against the government,” Kobakhidze claimed, also alleging that several European foreign ministers openly supported opposition activities in Georgia.

The PM said the resulting tensions had created a “rift” in Georgia-EU relations and argued that the European bureaucracy had become “a hostage to its own unfairness”.

“If the European bureaucracy overcomes its own complexes, relations between Georgia and the European Union will be reset very easily,” he said, adding that the Georgian side remained open to dialogue.

During the same briefing, Kobakhidze also criticised Georgia’s opposition, particularly figures linked to the opposition United National Movement, saying they had “no prospect of success”.

He described opposition leaders as “the same worn-out faces” and said the government would place strong emphasis on a constitutional court case aimed at restricting what he called “anti-state” political forces and foreign-backed agents.

Kobakhidze also claimed such groups should not have a place in what he described as a healthy democratic system, adding that the government would seek political “normalisation” through constitutional and democratic procedures.