Estonian foreign minister: Georgia losing chance to join EU

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said on Wednesday that Georgia is losing the chance to join the European Union after it passed the foreign influence law this week. He said it is "extremely sad" to see the country U-turn on its democratic reforms.
Tsahkna is visiting Georgia along with the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Icelandic foreign ministers after the adoption of the foreign influence law yesterday.
"The foreign influence law adopted by the Georgian parliament yesterday takes the chance of joining the European Union away from Georgia," Tsahkna said in a statement. "My colleagues and I share the position that the best guarantee for a democratic Georgia is European Union membership and yesterday's political decision to adopt the bill takes them further away from the European Union."
Discussions with officials focused on the foreign influence law and consequences arising from it, as well as European integration.
In the meeting with the Chair of the #Georgian Parliament @shpapuashvili I stressed that the Foreign Agents law is causing violence & taking them further away from their EU path.
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) May 15, 2024
rightful place is in the EU & people are waiting for the promises made to them to be fulfilled pic.twitter.com/uZ68pKXnEH
The foreign minister said EU integration is a process based on specific steps, which lead to visa freedom, free trade and eventually the chance to become a member of the EU.
"If you renege on principles, you will lose the privileges. If human rights violations and repressions occur, the European Union can also impose sanctions," he said.
"For decades, we have supported Georgia and their reforms – ranging from education to digital transformation –, usually with the help of local NGOs. It is extremely sad to see a U-turn on the democratic path and the hostile rhetoric of the government. The massive crowds that have taken to the streets for more than a month now clearly demonstrate that the people of Georgia do not agree with the direction taken by the government," Tsahkna said.
"Current events are not taking Georgia towards the future the people of Georgia have chosen."

Under the legislation, media or civil society groups in Georgia that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad will be required to register as "organizations serving the interests of a foreign power".
It is similar to legislation introduced in Russia in 2012 that critics say has been used to silence critics.
The bill, under debate since mid-April 2024, prompted harsh criticism from Georgia's bilateral and international partners and led to some of the largest peaceful protests in the country in recent decades, Human Rights Watch has said. There have been multiple, credible reports of unjustified police use of violence to disperse them.
The president has said she will veto the bill, but the governing party has enough numbers in the parliament to overrule her, the Guardian reported.
Ministers participate in protests
Hard to argue with the whole nation. #Georgia is part of Europe! pic.twitter.com/4bDSNx6Lnv
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) May 15, 2024
On Wednesday evening, the Estonian minister took part in the protests against the law on the streets of the capital alongside protesters.
A video posted on social media shows Tsahkna, wearing an EU flag, walking alongside Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis as the crowd chants "Sakartvelo" – Georgians' name for their country – around them.
"Hard to argue with the whole nation. Georgia is part of Europe!" he wrote.
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Editor: Helen Wright