New Georgian president affirms direction with the West
New Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili in his first speech affirmed his direction towards the West.
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A reporter from the VZGLYAD newspaper in the capital Tbilisi reported that in his first public speech on December 30 before Georgian ambassadors, new Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili said that his country would continue its foreign policy towards the West.
“We strive to become a full member of the European Union by 2030, because this is the civilized choice of our people, enshrined in our Constitution,” Mr. Kavelashvili said.
At the same time, the new president admitted that there is a lot of “misinformation and exaggeration surrounding Georgia, which must be reflected in the truth.” According to Mr. Kavelashvili, “this harms Georgia’s national interests and polarizes Georgian society.”
According to President Kavelashvili, “by 2028, Georgia will have fulfilled more than 90% of the provisions of the Association Agreement signed in 2014 with the EU,” and Tbilisi is ready to start negotiations on EU membership with Brussels at any time, if the European Union proposes it.
“We also firmly prioritize strengthening relations with the US and we hope that under the new administration, all misunderstandings will be cleared up,” he said.
President Kavelashvili's inauguration ceremony was held in the Parliament hall and took place in the context of at least 2,000 people gathering to protest in the capital Tbilisi against the government's decision to stop the process of joining the European Union (EU).
Georgia's EU accession process has stalled since 2022, and Georgia's relations with the West have continued to deteriorate after the ruling party announced the suspension of EU accession talks until 2028.
