“Georgia is moving away from the European Union path,” Minister Delegate for European Affairs of France, Benjamin Haddad, told journalists ahead of the EU General Affairs Council meeting.

According to him, this trend is particularly regrettable given that the majority of Georgian citizens strongly support European integration.

“I believe the European Commission’s message on Georgia in the enlargement report was very clear: the behaviour of the Georgian Dream—the repression of the opposition, protesters, civil society representatives, and independent journalists—is distancing the country from the European path. This is something we regret, because the majority of the Georgian population supports this path. It is a deep aspiration, one supported by France and other European countries. Unfortunately, what we have seen over the past year—from the elections to the recent democratic setbacks—has been moving the country further away,” Haddad said.

He also called on the ruling party to shift its approach.

“We urge Georgian Dream to fundamentally change its position, engage in constructive dialogue with the opposition, move toward new elections, and release political opponents, journalists, and civil society representatives. This is the only way for the country to return to its European aspirations. Otherwise, the process will be frozen,” the French Minister stated.