The Georgian government has orchestrated an attack on Georgia’s European perspective by means of introducing the foreign agent law. It wants to protect the Kremlin’s legacy and induce its own perspective on Georgia.

Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream legacy under threat

An overall majority of population in Georgia wants Georgia to be in the EU family. The ruling power elites in Georgia are led by Mr Ivanishvili and consider the public support trend as a threat to their establishment, consequently, they choose to increase a grip of power over the country and the people. The objective here is twofold: (1) to undermine Georgia’s EU future and (2) to close down the civil society in Georgia. Only then, the ruling elite will have free hands to rein.

Regional context demands EU strategy

This reflects well the Kremlin’s policy in South Caucasus – to spread autocracy and undermine democratic community in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. This can be done by a combination of burning bridges with EU, building of proxy parties and by incinerating wars. The Kremlin was not able to undermine the velvet revolution in Armenia, so it found another weak link in Georgia. Kremlin too, seeks to have free hands to rein in the region.

How to respond with an EU policy?

The EU response should be policy-based, differentiated for engagement and sanctions, regional and local. There are no illusions the Georgian government leadership will change the course, because this has become their battlefield for power and for control of Georgia. The battle that started in 1990’s and is ongoing.

The EU should take up the glove and communicate it clearly, as it did with Mečiar Government in 1996, saying that European perspective is there, but there is no candidacy process for Georgia until there is Ivanishvili’s Government. The EU can also use its narrative in 2018 enlargement conclusions for Turkey and note that Ivanishvili’s Government is moving further away from the EU, which effectively puts Georgia’s candidacy process to a standstill.

The EU should work out a regional strategy too. For example, it should make one step forward in building its relations with Armenia and grant this country a European perspective too. This approach would imply that EU leaders would grant a European perspective to the countries of South Caucasus as part of a merit-based process. The candidate status can be discussed too, but only after the application is made. Regional context is essential and at this moment, next to Georgia, accepting Armenia to the European political family becomes also of an urgency.

The Governments are responsible to the people, and in case they are not delivering, consequently they are stepping down. His is how democracy works through a political process. The EU should keep an open dialogue with the stakeholders of the protest in Georgia and stand by them. The open society in Georgia needs a political process and a political leadership. This is where the EU can come up with international mediation for transition of government. This has to be addressed, otherwise parliamentary elections in Georgia in autumn may neither be free or democratic.

And finally, the EU should not wait but introduce in coordination with international partners the sanctions on Ivanishvili’s businesses and assets linked with corruptive practices, involvement in dealings with the Kremlin authorities and with supporting the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine. EU sanction policy there is long overdue.

Photo: Radio Free Europe