Georgia rallies for EU membership ahead of key decision – DW – 12/09/2023

Hundreds of people rallied in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday, voicing support for the country’s candidacy to join the EU.

The rallygoers played drums and waved Georgian flags along Tbilisi’s central street, Rustaveli Avenue.  

Organizers of the rally said “Georgians’ unity holds decisive importance on our path towards the EU.”

Georgian president: Tbilisi rally ‘a demonstration of the people’s will’ 

Georgian President Salome Zourabichivili attended the event, calling it a “a demonstration of the people’s will and choice that has been reflected in many initiatives.”

“This latest initiative, which we are all joining, loudly voices our main wish to the European Union — that we want Europe,” she added.

The EU on December 15 is expected to decide whether Georgia will be granted candidate status for membership in the 27-country bloc.   

Georgia applied for EU membership after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine and Moldova have also put in applications for membership since the war began.  

Russia and Georgia previously fought a war in 2008, with Georgia losing its grasp over two Moscow-friendly separatist regions. Joining the EU could bolster Georgia’s defense if another military conflict with Russia occurs.

The European Commission earlier recommended that Georgia receive EU candidate status on the condition that steps be taken. These include Georgia aligning itself with EU foreign policy and pursuing holistic judicial reforms. 

Ruling Georgian party echoes Putin despite popular support for EU

Although Georgians widely support EU membership, the ruling Georgian Dream party has expressed rhetoric echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The party has accused the West of attempting to drag Georgia into war. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who belongs to Georgian Dream, has blamed Ukraine’s NATO aspirations for the ongoing Russian invasion.   

Moreover, Georgian Dream founder and former Prime Minister Bidzhina Ivanishvili, a billionaire, made his fortune in Russia and has been accused of directing the Georgian government behind the scenes.  

The Georgian Dream has rejected the argument that it holds pro-Russian stances. Garibashvili has said that he and his party are committed to pursuing Georgia’s EU and NATO membership aspirations. 

wd/lo (AFP, AP)