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Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
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Zakharova: Georgia and Russia “Systematically Working on Normalization”, Questions Future of EU

Civil.ge Send an email 24/04/2025 - 23:42
2 minutes read

Commenting on an unnamed Georgian Dream official’s statement that Georgia will join the European Union by 2030, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cast doubt on the bloc’s future and questioned its relevance to national economies. Speaking at a press briefing on April 24, Zakharova suggested that the EU is in decline and may not remain by the end of the decade, while also saying Georgia and Russia are “systematically working on the normalization of relations.”

“Those who aim to join the European Union by 2030, or any other year, should make sure there is something to join,” the spokeswoman said. To underscore her point, she invoked Britain’s departure from the EU: “Mind you, Britain wouldn’t have left anything good. Where there’s something to be gained, where there’s real potential, the British are always the first. This time they were the first to leave the EU. It’s easy to see why.”

Offering her take on “why” UK left the Union, Zakharova described the EU as an institution plagued by “obvious signs of crisis” claiming that the bloc no longer offers viable prospects for countries focused on their national economies. “There is nothing to do there for those who think about their national economies. That’s all,” she said.

Noting that “this is a sovereign matter of each country” Zakharova said: “We have repeatedly discussed this with Georgia, despite political disagreements and the lack of diplomatic relations.” She added: “But we are building bilateral relations in a cooperative and mutually beneficial way; a dialogue is underway in this direction.”

Shen then said: “We are trying to intensify economic and humanitarian cooperation. We are systematically working on the normalization of relations, which is in the interests of the Russian and Georgian peoples.” She also claimed that Russia has “already demonstrated this in practice, our aspirations, our goodwill and our desire.”

“But the issue is that those who are considering the European Union should look at figures, not just slogans, but concrete figures,” Zakharova concluded.

Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, a key milestone in its long-standing Euro-Atlantic integration policy, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution.

In recent years, however, relations between Georgia and the EU have become increasingly strained. In November 2024, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the ruling party would not put EU accession negotiations on the agenda until 2028. The decision sparked mass protests that have continued for nearly five months. The country’s relations with the EU are at an all-time low, with the Union criticizing Georgia’s steep democratic backsliding; repressive laws; repression, police brutality and state capture. In response to these developments the EU (and individual member states) halted its assistance; suspended visa liberalization for Georgian holders of diplomatic and service passports. Individual EU members imposed travel bans and financial sanctions on GD officials and “regime enablers”.

Despite these developments, Georgian Dream officials still claim that the country will join the EU in 2030, although they do not specify how exactly this will be achieved, given the country’s poor democratic record, anti-Western rhetoric and deepening rift with the West.

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Civil.ge Send an email 24/04/2025 - 23:42
2 minutes read
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