Georgian Foreign Ministry ignores Austria’s criticism in statement on ministers’ meeting

In its report about the Vienna meeting between Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and her Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry omitted the Austrian side’s concerns about Georgia’s shift from its European course, which the Austrian minister sharply expressed not only during the closed meeting but also at the subsequent joint press conference.

Botchorishvili and Meinl-Reisinger met on Wednesday in the Austrian capital. Following the meeting, Meinl-Reisinger remarked that Georgia is ‘an important partner’, the two countries have good economic relations, and that ‘further deepening would be beneficial for both of us’.

She also emphasised that during the meeting, they discussed Russia’s actions and the need for Georgia and Austria to strengthen their resilience.

‘Russia continues to destabilise our institutions and societies, and we need to combine our efforts to fight against this’, she added, stressing that ‘Austria supports territorial integrity’.

Following this, Meinl-Reisinger added, ‘Unfortunately, today we had many difficult topics also on the agenda’, dedicating most of her speech to the recent developments in Georgia and the deterioration of Georgia–EU relations.

‘When it comes to Georgia’s EU accession path, Georgia has shifted into reverse gear. This is, from an Austrian and also from a European perspective, regrettable’, she said.

Meinl-Reisinger focused on a ‘backdrop of reforms in the areas of justice, rule of law and human rights’, as well as ‘backward steps such as legislation targeting civil society or irregularities during the parliamentary elections in Oct 2024, as was identified by OSCE/ODIHR’.

‘As a result, the EU accession process is currently at a hold. I made it very clear to my Georgian colleague that we strongly condemn the violence against peaceful protesters and media representatives. The Georgian authorities must respect the right to freedom of assembly and of expression and refrain from using force. All acts of violence must be investigated and those responsible held accountable’, Meinl-Reisinger said.

She also highlighted the suspension of various forms of financial aid from the EU to Georgia, as well as the fact that no support in this regard is planned for 2025.

Meinl-Reisinger further noted that Austria and the EU continue to support the Georgian people and civil society and called on ‘those politically responsible’ to overcome divisions and polarisations. She emphasised the importance of bilateral dialogue between Georgia and the EU, as well as dialogue with Georgian civil society and the opposition.

‘We regret that the Georgian government took the decision to suspend the EU accession process until 2028. The further course of events depends entirely on the next steps taken by the Georgian government’, she said, adding that how to follow the path towards EU accession is totally up to Georgia to decide.

‘Of course this is a sovereign decision but it is also clear that we would welcome your efforts, more engaging efforts towards this European path. I am opposed to completely closing the door’, Meinl-Reisinger added.

Botchorishvili ignores Meinl-Reisinger’s concerns

In response, Botchorishvili said that the bilateral relations between the two countries are ‘in very good shape, but of course, there is always room for improvement’.

She also thanked Austria for its support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and focused on her Austrian counterpart’s point about Georgia’s sovereign decisions within the EU context.

‘Indeed, sovereign choices and supporting sovereign changes of countries is very important, and we appreciate that support a lot’, she said, noting that EU membership is also Georgia’s sovereign choice and expressing hope for the opportunity to engage in an open dialogue on EU-accession ‘soon’.

Botchorishvili did not address any of the concerns expressed by her Austrian counterpart and refrained from touching on the issue of deteriorating relations between Georgia and the EU, aside from emphasising the importance of dialogue.

As a result, the audience in the press conference room remained unaware of how the minister envisioned opening an accession dialogue for Georgia ‘soon’, especially considering that the Georgian Dream was the one that halted Georgia’s EU membership bid ‘until 2028’.

At the end of the press conference, a journalist from Austria’s public broadcaster asked Botchorishvili how she interacts with European institutions ‘taking into account that the EU and the member states in the parliament have not recognised Georgia’s last elections and regard Salome Zourabichvili as the legitimate president’.'

In response, Botchorishvili mentioned the ‘sovereign choices of the people’ and stated that they must be respected. She also repeated Georgian Dream’s line on the election, saying the results were met with protests ‘without any evidence’ of violations.

The Austrian concerns were also not included in the press release issued by the Georgian Foreign Ministry after the meeting.

The ministry informed the public that Austria reaffirmed its support for Georgia’s European integration, while the Georgian side expressed its desire to join the EU and noted its commitment to fulfilling the obligations outlined in the Association Agreement.

The press release also mentioned other details, including trade and economic relations between two countries and the ‘importance of maintaining stability in Georgia and the entire region’.

Not the first case

The discrepancy between Georgian Dream’s interpretation and the actual positions stated by European politicians has been a long-time trend.

One such case occurred in October, following a meeting between Botchorishvili with then-Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry stated at the time that the meeting focused on ‘ongoing processes in Georgia’, as well as affirming that ‘Austria will continue to stand by Georgia in its EU membership journey’. The statement did not mention the Austrian side’s concerns, which Schallenberg publicly underlined in his social media post about the meeting.

When EU politicians say one thing, Georgian Dream leaders say another

EU politicians have taken to issuing their own corrective statements following meetings with Georgian Dream leaders.

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia

Georgia’s relations with the EU significantly deteriorated after Georgian Dream halted the country’s EU membership bid on 28 November and responded with violence against demonstrators who subsequently took to the streets in protest.

Several EU states, as well as the UK and the US, have imposed sanctions on Georgian officials and have suspended cooperation in various forms. Among those sanctioned are leaders of the ruling party, with some measures directly targeting its founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as other government officials and senior police officers.

Germany imposes new entry bans on Georgian officials over protest crackdown

The identities of those sanctioned are unknown.

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia