Since Georgia achieved independence in 1991, its foreign policy has steadily oriented towards the West, and this does make sense for historical and cultural reasons. As a Christian country, many Georgians feel more European than their neighbors do, and polling suggests that something like 75% of Georgians actually want to join the EU. In fact, under their previous leader, Georgia pushed for stronger relations with the West and helped to create the EU's Eastern Partnership program. This was so successful, in fact, that Georgia eventually obtained a visa free regime for the Schengen area in 2017 and applied for full EU membership in June of last year. However, in the past year or so, the country has shifted dramatically away from the EU and towards Russia. Eu Georgia relations have deteriorated to such an extent now that last year the EU Council declined Georgia's candidacy for EU membership, and in June 2022, the EU set out a list of 12 demands for Georgia in order to be granted candidate status, including de-oligarch ization of Georgian politics, transparent judicial reform and a guarantee of free, pluralistic and independent media. So in this article, I thought we'd take a look at why Georgia has drifted away from the EU, why the government is getting so cozy with the Kremlin and how this might change in the future.
So the main reason for this shift is down to the former Georgian Dream Party leader and former Georgian prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Ivanishvili is a powerful oligarch who made his money in Russia in the 1990s and is conspicuously close to the Kremlin. In fact, another former Russian oligarch described him in 2012 as a man who plays according to the rules set by the Russian government. Ivanishvili is also Georgia's richest citizen and owns a cartoonishly villainous castle with a priceless art collection and massive shark pool perched on a mountain overlooking the capital. Now, Ivanishvili served briefly as prime minister from October 2012 to November 2013 and has, in effect, ruled over Georgia ever since. Although he holds no formal government post, that's because, despite this, Ivanishvili controls the ruling party, Georgian Dream, key state institutions and the economic area. In fact, most key members of the government and party officials today have some sort of history with him. For example, the current prime minister was his hand-picked successor. The current head of the state security service used to be his former business associate, and the first deputy interior minister was his personal bodyguard. So it's clear to see that one of the key reasons that Georgia relations have deteriorated is Ivanishvili's authoritarian tilt. For example, in October 2021, when the former Georgian president returned from exile, he was violently transferred to prison hospital, allegedly threatened and then denied adequate health care. And even the European Parliament have got involved with this with them asking for him to be released because he still chairs the National Reform Council in Ukraine with the parliament requesting that he receives medical treatment outside of Georgia.
It seems, though, that this incarceration and mistreatment are mainly due to political revenge, according to Amnesty International, and as a favor to Vladimir Putin, who conducted a short war against Georgia in 2008 and once promised to hang the former president by his balls. It's not just that, though. Ivanishvili has also started to curtail the freedom of the press. In May 2022, the country's former justice minister was sentenced to three and a half years in jail for abuse of power. With these charges against him supposedly relating to decisions he made in his previous role as the head of the television company Rustavi2 . But it's probably got more to do with the fact that he now runs the main Georgian opposition TV station. Ivanishvili's government has also taken a particularly harsh stance against LGBTQ+ people. When half a dozen self-described ultra orthodox and traditionalist groups held a counter rally against a pride march held in July 2021 before attacking 53 journalists, before storming the headquarters of a local LGBTQ+ organization and another civil society organization, and then replacing the EU flag in front of the parliament with an Orthodox cross. Georgia's prime Minister refused to condemn them, declaring that this is the opinion of our population and we, the government, elected by the people, shall obey that. The only parade I know is that of our army.
So that's the main reason for Georgia's shift. The ruling party under the influence of Ivanishvili have become increasingly authoritarian, apparently even mimicking aspects of the Kremlin. The second reason, though, is the war in Ukraine. Despite taking roughly 100,000 Russian exiles, mostly young, educated males, fleeing from Putin's military mobilisation, Georgia has refused to join the Western economic sanctions against Russia and has still not returned an anti-air aircraft missile system that Ukraine gave them back in 2008. The current prime minister of Georgia has also refused to condemn the Russian invasion and instead said that Ukraine was being punished. The government is once again at odds with its own population. Here, though, with thousands of Georgians taking to the streets to show their support for Ukraine. And polling suggesting that the vast majority of Georgians support Ukraine, with some 1000 Georgian volunteers even believed to be fighting alongside Ukraine. In response, the Georgian government has threatened to revoke their Georgian citizenship on the ground that they're fighting for the interests of a foreign nation. Now, the Georgian government argue that this strategy is necessary in order to protect its country from Russian imperialism at a time when no other world power would be willing or able to come to their defense.
And to be fair, Georgia does have cause to be wary. In 2008, war broke out between Georgia and Russia with. This resulting in Russia taking control of the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which roughly accounts for about 20% of Georgia's overall territory. And Russia still maintains a military presence in both territories. Nonetheless, whatever its strategic merits, the policy isn't popular with the Georgian public, and it's fair to say that Georgian Dream's relatively Russia friendly stance on Ukraine is at least influenced by their ties to the Kremlin. So to conclude, while the Georgian public might feel European, the country's politics remain constructed and dictated by its geographical proximity to Russia and its pro-Russian political elite, neither of which is great news for those on the European side of things in Georgia or for the war in Ukraine more generally.
