Lithuanian FM Warns Against Normalizing Ties with GD Government Amid Democratic Decline
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has warned against re-engaging with Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream government at any diplomatic level unless it recommits to democratic principles, citing what he described as a missed opportunity by the European Union to impose sanctions during the country’s ongoing democratic backsliding.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in an interview published May 20, Budrys said the EU had failed to act decisively in response to the Georgian authorities’ crackdown on civil society, flawed elections, and the use of force against peaceful protesters.
“I think that we missed not once a chance to send the stronger message to Georgian authorities about the path that they have chosen” including with the sanctions, Budrys said, referring to legislation targeting NGOs, electoral irregularities, and the violent dispersal of demonstrations. He described the authorities’ conduct as “beyond the red lines.” He further added, “We missed the chance then and what was obvious that it will go down the hill with the democratic freedoms being more and more constrained and limited, and it would limit the capabilities of ours and the area of cooperation between European Union and Georgia.”
While noting that a large majority of Georgians continue to support EU integration, Budrys said the government must take concrete steps to restore the country’s democratic trajectory. “So Lithuania is repeating that the best way out of this situation is to organize fair elections again and recall, also recalling legislation that limits the activities of political opposition and NGOs,” he said. “If not, we are heading in a very bad direction — and that’s only the responsibility of Georgian authorities right now.”
Asked whether EU leaders such as European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner Marta Kos “should engage with the de-facto government in Tbilisi”, Budrys rejected the idea of normalization under present conditions, “till we still have the European perspective on the table we cannot engage and normalize the current situation.” He added: “So, I don’t see the value added in continuing this.”
He said future engagement could only be considered if the EU–Georgia relationship is “fundamentally redefined”, and only if democratic conditions are restored.
“If we are reformulating everything, and if there is a different status of our cooperation, then maybe in the future there will be considerations like this,” Budrys said. “But still, there is the perspective of Georgia’s European path — we cannot remodel it because this is the very values, European values, we are talking about,” citing free and fair elections, democratic institutions, and the freedom of NGOs. “If we are leaving this to the side, then what’s on our agenda?” he added.
On May 21, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze responded to Budrys’ remarks during a press briefing with a dismissive statement: “The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not exist. That’s just an ordinary unit of the ‘deep state.’”
Lithuania has been among the first EU member states to react strongly to Georgia’s democratic backsliding. In response to the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrators during the November–December 2024 rallies, Lithuania imposed travel sanctions on Georgian Dream officials it deemed responsible for the crackdown and for enabling the democratic regress.
Also Read:
- 15/04/2025 – UPDATE: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Expand Sanctions on Georgian Officials
- 25/03/2025 – “Existential Challenge” Looms over Georgia, President Zurabishvili Tells Lithuanian Seimas
- 15/12/2024 – Lithuania Sanctions Kobakhidze, 16 Other Officials Over Crackdown
- 06/12/2024 – Lithuanian Seimas Condemns Violence by GD Government Against Protesters, Calls for EU Sanctions
- 28/10/2024 – Latvian, Lithuanian MFAs Question the ‘Free and Fair’ Nature of Georgian ELections
This post is also available in: ქართული Русский