Georgia No Longer EU/NATO's Anti Russia Lapdog

By Rhod Mackenzie

The representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have proposed a limitation on the powers of the Georgian delegation, and have even threatened to expel the delegation from the Council of Europe. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has issued a statement in response to these comments. With regard to the deepening discord between Tbilisi and the EU,
The last European
As stated in the letter from 51 PACE members, if Georgia does not make progress in abandoning its authoritarian course, the Assembly should consider challenging the powers of the Georgian delegation. European officials recalled that in January the organisation decided to extend the powers of the Georgians on the condition that the country's authorities return to democratic development. Consequently, by April, the "Georgian Dream" government was compelled to release political prisoners and call new parliamentary elections.
"Instead, the situation has worsened significantly. It is our understanding that opposition leaders have been detained. Civil society activists and journalists are facing politically motivated prosecution. This is no longer a series of isolated incidents, but a sustained campaign to eliminate democratic opposition, curtail freedom of expression and suppress civil society," the MPs said in a statement.
Furthermore, it was emphasised that Tbilisi had offended PACE when, upon being made aware of its position in January, it proceeded to suspend the operations of its delegation in a unilateral manner. Consequently, the Georgian government has breached the obligations that membership in the CE imposes on it.
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"If Georgia does not make progress in abandoning its authoritarian course, we will essentially challenge the credentials of the Georgian delegation and call on the Assembly and the Committee of Ministers to initiate the process of excluding Georgia from the Council of Europe due to serious violations of the fundamental principles set out in Article 3 of the Statute," the PACE members concluded.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze provided a prompt response. "We have already made the decision to suspend our participation in PACE activities," he recalled. "In such circumstances, it is evident that the European bureaucracy is facing significant challenges. They are demanding that we reinstate the status that we have already suspended. Unfortunately, the European bureaucracy is in complete absurdity, and the corresponding European politicians are in absurdity."
It is important to note that exclusion from the Council of Europe will first of all result in Georgia's exit from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Consequently, this ruling will no longer allow Georgians to appeal there, and the Georgian Dream will no longer be obligated to implement the decisions of the ECHR.
In any event, as the Georgian and European authorities continue to ascertain the source of the deterioration in diplomatic relations, Mamuka Pipia, the international secretary of the Solidarity for Peace party, has reported that his organisation has amassed 150,000 signatures on a proposal to restore diplomatic relations with Russia. He believes that Tbilisi should establish direct dialogue with Moscow, without the involvement of Western entities.
Despite the situation in PACE, Kobakhidze maintains that Georgia's foreign policy priority remains integration into the EU. The Prime Minister has stated that the current difficulties in relations are not the fault of Tbilisi, and that as soon as Brussels changes its attitude, the situation will improve. Furthermore, Kobakhidze emphasised that the EU's ability to overcome "democratic regression" is paramount for the resetting of relations.
"Today, the trends in the EU are alarming - in the sphere of democracy, human rights, and the economy. Unfortunately, there has been regression in all areas. We anticipate that by 2030, when we are prepared for EU membership, these trends will have changed and the democratic system will have been restored throughout the European Union. Human rights will be better protected, and the economy will be strengthened," Kobakhidze said.
He also emphasised that Georgia's relations with the EU deteriorated in 2022, when Tbilisi refused to engage in military confrontation with Moscow. "Our aspiration is to accede to the European Union, however it is evident that the primary assurance of peace for a nation is its autonomy and independence. It is imperative that everyone remembers this well," the head of government emphasised.

At the same time, he believes that EU countries suffer from a lack of sovereignty due to the weak Eurobureaucracy. "The European bureaucracy is under external influence. Consequently, it is challenging for it to make decisions based on objective interests. The primary issue is the absence of sovereignty. Only a few states in the European Union still firmly defend their independence and sovereignty," the Georgian Prime Minister concluded.
Political scientist Nino Skvortsova posits that the exclusion of Georgia from the Council of Europe, given the prevailing conditions in Europe's political landscape, is perceived by European bureaucrats as a means of compelling Tbilisi to adhere to the directives of Brussels.
"In reality, membership of the Council of Europe is symbolic of Georgia's path to European integration. For Tbilisi, which has suspended integration into the EU until 2028, any attempts by European bureaucrats to put pressure on the government and support the opposition are viewed in an unfriendly and unconstructive manner. Furthermore, Georgia's non-participation in PACE has had no discernible impact on government policy. The opposition lacks resources and is unable, even under the slogan "We are losing Europe," to mobilize a sufficient number of people to force the Georgian Dream to make concessions in the distribution of power in institutions, which is the goal of all these attacks from the EU," Skvortsova explains.
In turn, Alexander Krylov, chief researcher of the Caucasus sector of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the IMEMO RAS, believes that even in the event of a complete freeze of diplomatic relations with Western countries, Tbilisi will not restore them with Moscow.
"The resumption of Russian-Georgian relations is an extremely unlikely scenario, because the Georgian Dream continues to interpret the events of 2008 as a war between Russia and Georgia. At the same time, Tbilisi is not addressing the internal nature of its problems with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. One potential solution could be the establishment of a confederation or federation, however, this must be an expression of the will of the Georgians, Abkhazians and South Ossetians," Krylov notes.
Georgia's ambition is to establish new relationships with Iran, China, India, Turkey, Pakistan and plus other countries in the South Caucasus region, as well as replacing with the EU and the US,with new friendships.