Saturday, December 6, 2025

EU claims Georgia twisting facts after letter on frozen programs leaks

TBILISI, November 8 – Brussels on Friday accused the Georgian government of spreading disinformation after a leaked letter from the European Union’s ambassador to Tbilisi appeared to confirm that Georgia’s participation in several EU-funded programs had been suspended before Tbilisi paused accession talks. Speaking Friday at a press briefing in Brussels, Anita Hipper, the European … Read more

Georgia’s indicted opposition hits back as prosecutors press sabotage cases

TBILISI, November 7 – Georgia’s opposition leaders and their lawyers pushed back Friday after prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against eight opposition figures, including former president Mikheil Saakashvili, on counts ranging from “sabotage” to aiding a foreign power’s hostile activity. The Prosecutor General’s Office has also asked a Tbilisi court to set bail for Lelo party … Read more

Tbilisi claims EU, not Georgia, paused membership talks last year

TBILISI, November 7 – A leading lawmaker in Tbilisi claims a newly revealed letter from the European Union’s ambassador confirms that the bloc had suspended Georgia’s participation in several EU-funded programs months before Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s controversial statements about freezing the country’s EU accession bid. The background is a decision, announced in November, 2024, … Read more

Georgian government escalates crackdown, accusing opposition leaders of aiding foreign sanctions

The political crisis in Georgia has deepened dramatically Thursday as the Prosecutor General announced sweeping allegations against several opposition leaders, accusing them of collaborating with foreign countries to harm the state. The prosecution claims the opposition intentionally supplied external powers with sensitive information, including details on petroleum product imports and the “existing or invented” situation … Read more

German ambassador back in Tbilisi following ‘meddling’ row

TBILISI, November 6 – Germany’s ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, has returned to Tbilisi after consultations in Berlin following friction with the Georgian Dream government over his alleged involvement in the country’s opposition protests. The German Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that Fischer had resumed his post, writing on social platform X that “the ambassador has … Read more

U.S. congressman accuses Georgia of betraying American interests

TBILISI, November 6 – Tensions grew between Georgia’s government and U.S. lawmakers this week as a senior member of Congress accused Georgia’s ruling party of undermining American security interests by handing control of its key Black Sea port to Chinese state-linked companies and persecuting Western investors. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson accused Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream … Read more

Georgia’s PM escalates feud with Brussels, stating there are no protests

TBILISI, November 5 – Georgia’s prime minister took fresh aim at European Union institutions on Wednesday, accusing “European bureaucracy” of double standards and defending Tbilisi’s decision to avoid recent Euronest sessions, the EU’s parliamentary forum for Eastern Partnership states. Speaking to Georgian reporters during a visit to Shanghai, Irakli Kobakhidze said the situation inside EU … Read more

Tbilisi rejects EU criticism as political interference

TBILISI, November 5 – Tbilisi has fired back at Brussels over the European Commission’s latest enlargement report, accusing the EU of political bias, disrespect, and interference in Georgia’s domestic affairs. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Tuesday that if there is any “backsliding,” it is in Brussels, not in Georgia. In a series of statements responding … Read more

EU declares Georgia’s membership bid ‘frozen’

TBILISI, November 4 – The European Union has declared Georgia’s membership process “practically frozen,” citing what it calls unprecedented democratic backsliding, repression of dissent, and a breakdown in the rule of law. The announcement came Tuesday as Brussels released its 2025 Enlargement Report, marking the sharpest downturn yet in relations between the bloc and the … Read more

Georgia’s new protest laws “abolish” freedom of assembly: Watchdog

TBILISI, November 4 – Tbilisi-based watchdog Transparency International Georgia (TIG) has sharply condemned the ruling Georgian Dream party’s latest amendments to Georgia’s protest laws, calling them “repressive” and a de facto abolition of citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of assembly. The group says the legal changes, adopted over the past two years, amount to a … Read more