In a letter responding to a question from independent Georgian MP Teona Akubardia and seen by Civil.ge the Embassy of Denmark in Georgia says that Denmark is conducting a “full review” of bilateral aid and assistance to the Georgian authorities, and while the review is ongoing “Denmark will put some planned activities and new programming support to the Georgian authorities on hold.” MP Akubardia’s question concerned the cooperation between Denmark and Georgia in the field of defense and security, and in particular financial aid and other resources from Denmark to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.
The Embassy clarifies that the move comes following the EU Council’s decision in June to review direct financial assistance to the Georgian authorities, including the suspension of disbursements under the European Peace Facility. At the EU Council Summit, EU leaders also decided to suspend the accession process for Georgia. EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński said that the EU decisions were the result of the adoption by Georgia of the foreign agents law and recent anti-democratic steps taken by the Georgian government.
The letter from the Danish Embassy notes that in 2023, Denmark and Georgia launched a four-year military cooperation with a total budget of approximately DKK 71.5 million (about USD 10 million 360 thousand). “This includes for instance the deployment of Voluntary National Contributions, donations, and facilitation of training and course activities as well as seminars and conferences,” the letter reads. The letter does not specify exactly what kind of aid and assistance is being withheld, or which projects are to be stopped.
The letter concludes with a call from Denmark for the Georgian government to “return to the Euro-Atlantic path and adhere to the EU reform agenda,” saying this is “the foundation for strong bilateral ties” between the two countries.
Following the adoption of the controversial foreign agents law, this is yet another Georgian partner that has decided to review bilateral relations and suspend some of the crucial aid to Georgian state institutions.
On July 5, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the indefinite postponement of the Noble Partner exercise, initially scheduled for July 25, to August 6 of this year. The U.S. is also conducting the full review of bilateral relations with Georgia.
On July 9, Paweł Herczyński, the European Union’s Ambassador to Georgia, stated that the EU accession process had been halted and that the EU’s 30 million Euros aid to the Georgian Defense Ministry had been frozen. The Ambassador regretted the low level of EU-Georgia relations, saying that they could have been at an all-time high.
On July 10, Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to Georgia, announced Germany’s decision to stop any new financial commitments to Georgia, to halt its military participation in the Noble Partner exercise, and to cancel an important legal conference because of the GD’s recent anti-Western decisions.
