Georgia, which declared its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has taken important steps towards closer cooperation with the European Union (EU). Today, globalization and the complexity of international relations have made cooperation and interaction between countries even more important. In this context, the relations of strategically located countries such as Georgia with the EU are of great importance for both regional stability and economic development.
Since the early 1990s, Georgia has been striving for closer ties with the EU, dreaming of obtaining candidate status and eventually becoming an EU member.
In December 2023, in a surprise announcement, the EU gave the green light to Georgia’s full membership process. The EU also announced that it would open accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova. In 2013, the EU slowed down its enlargement process with Croatia’s accession to the EU and took a major step after 10 years to welcome a new member to the bloc.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said the following about this situation:[1]
“Integration with the EU and Europe is important for us. It will not only be a security guarantee for us and will strengthen the country economically, but it is also important for other values such as sports and culture. This historic victory belongs to you, to the Georgian people, undefeated, unbroken, freedom-loving.”
This EU accession process is an important message from Georgia to Russia. The road to full membership may take decades. Nevertheless, this move, even if symbolic, has great meaning. Even if this process fails, it may send the necessary message to Russia.
Georgia was part of the Soviet Union for decades and has struggled for decades to get out of Russia’s shadow. On December 15, 2023, the Kremlin reacted against Georgia’s full membership process. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the move was “absolutely politicized” and was motivated by the bloc’s “desire to further anger Russia and incite these countries against Russia.’’.[2]
It is very important for Georgia to make good use of this process. Although it has fulfilled only 3 of the 12 criteria required by the EU, efforts have accelerated since November. It is equally important that it aligns its foreign and security policies with the EU. Georgia has long pursued a pro-Western foreign policy, and granting the country candidate status would be a critical step to refute allegations often heard in the West that the Georgian government is “pro-Russian”.
The biggest challenge for Georgia’s EU accession process is its relations with Russia. Georgia’s support for Ukraine after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has led to a difficult period in relations with Russia. It is not yet clear how Georgia will balance between the EU and Russia.
Russia may have underestimated the importance of EU enlargement because of its focus on NATO enlargement. In this context, it can be said that the reason for Russia’s attack on Ukraine was Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU. In other words, EU enlargement is as worrisome for Russia as NATO enlargement.[3] This development can be interpreted as a “new low” for Russia, whose power in the region diminished with the invasion of Ukraine. This step of Georgia sets an important example for Russia’s border neighbors, especially Armenia.
In conclusion, the full membership process initiated by the EU for Georgia is a major step for the EU’s enlargement in the South Caucasus. The EU’s granting of candidate status to Georgia could have wider implications for Europe and Russia in the South Caucasus.
[1] Daniel Bellamy, “Georgia celebrates gaining EU candidate status.”, Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/2023/12/16/georgia-celebrates-gaining-eu-candidate-status (Erişim Tarihi: 18.12.2023).
[2] Same place.
[3] Emil Avdaliani, “Georgia’s EU Candidate Status Will Test Its Relations With Russia.”, Carnegie, https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/91045, (Erişim Tarihi: 18.12.2023).
