For years, Irish politicians have been advocating that Georgia should join the European Union.
Now they’re condemning its human rights abuses.
Speaking to Gript outside Government Buildings this week, Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris said Georgia’s leadership had “moved much further away” from EU values and criteria.
“So the government’s position is that any country that wants to join the European Union has to do so by meeting the criteria,” he said.
“And what’s very clear to me is that Georgia has moved much further away from that criteria. It’s also clear to me that the current Georgian government don’t wish now, or certainly have delayed their intention, to join the European Union.”
He continued: “So the truthful answer is then that Georgia is moving further away from being a prospective member of the European Union. Of course we would like to see more countries join the European Union, but they’re countries that have to share our values, and they’re countries that have to comply with the criteria.”
His comments come just days after a joint statement from 17 European governments — including Ireland — which criticised the Georgian government for arresting opposition leaders and curbing press and civil freedoms.
The statement, issued on July 11th, said the situation in Georgia was “deteriorating” and accused the government of “a rapid transformation towards an authoritarian system”.
“We strongly condemn the recent, politically motivated, imprisonment and detention of the leaders of Georgian opposition, clearly designed to stifle political opposition in Georgia, a few months ahead of the local elections,” the statement said.
It added: “We will continue to call out Georgian authorities’ undemocratic actions and violations of human rights and will not hesitate to make use of the range of unilateral and multilateral tools available to us should Georgian authorities continue to take steps that erode Georgia’s democracy and respect for human rights.”
The European Union has also warned that it could suspend Georgia’s visa-free travel to the EU unless the government reverses course. On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a letter had been sent to Georgia outlining the steps required to avoid suspension.
“If these conditions are not met within that deadline, then we will have to suspend the visa-free regime,” she said.
Georgia’s trajectory has drawn international attention after six opposition leaders were sentenced to prison within a single week earlier this month. As reported by the BBC at the time, those sentenced included high-profile figures such as Nika Melia, Givi Targamadze, Giorgi Vashadze and others, some of whom have also been barred from holding office within the country.
Transparency International called it “the most severe democratic collapse in Georgia’s post-Soviet history”, while Norway said the arrests amounted to an “unprecedented attack on Georgia’s democracy,” slamming the State’s actions.
Ireland has long backed Georgia’s bid to join the European Union going back years. In 2022, the Seanad passed a resolution calling on the EU to grant Georgia candidate status.
In September 2023, then-Tánaiste Micheál Martin signed a memorandum with Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister reaffirming Ireland’s “strong support” for the country’s EU accession.
That same year, during a diplomatic visit to Dublin, both Dáil Chair Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Seanad Chair Jerry Buttimer publicly endorsed Georgia’s EU candidacy.
“Ireland is a steadfast friend of Georgia, advocating strongly for Georgia’s accession to the European Union,” Ó Fearghaíl said at the time, while Buttimer said “[Ireland has] a very strong friendship with Georgia, which supports Georgia’s application for candidate status, the country’s accession to the European Union.”