“Georgia has not been granted candidate status for the EU, despite us being, and continuing to be, leading contenders. By 2030, Georgia will be prepared for EU membership; however, we remain uncertain whether the EU’s position will change, as they are frequently guided by double standards,” stated Mikheil Kavelashvili, President of Georgia, in response to a question from a Deutsche Welle journalist about how long it might actually take for Georgia to join the EU.

According to him, dialogue is crucial, but the EU has not engaged in a genuine negotiation with Georgia.

“Sometimes they recognise the government; other times, they do not; this is absurd,” the President said.

Mikheil Kavelashvili emphasised that for Georgia to become an EU member state, everyone involved, from EU bureaucrats to members of the European Parliament, must change their attitude.

“Let me share a few facts. The protests began over the Transparency Law. My faction introduced this law. It is a law about transparency. It requires NGOs to submit a financial declaration if 20 per cent of their funding comes from abroad. NGOs are obliged to submit all relevant documentation and be transparent about their expenses. Nothing more.

We have adopted all sanctions possible, except those that conflict with our national interests and economic situation. We supported all UN resolutions concerning the war in Ukraine. We did not send volunteers to Ukraine to avoid accusations of participation in the conflict.

Georgia has not received candidate status for the European Union, despite being and continuing to be a leading candidate,” Mikheil Kavelashvili concluded.