Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticised the European Union

Publika․Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticised the European Union for postponing the annual EU–Georgia Human Rights Dialogue, originally scheduled for 21 November in Brussels, calling the EU’s explanation “completely unacceptable and unjustified.” The Ministry said it had carried out extensive preparations and accused Brussels of avoiding Georgia’s “well-argued positions.”

 “Unfortunately, despite the Georgian side’s efforts to ensure the holding of the EU–Georgia Human Rights Dialogue, the EU side postponed the meeting for a completely unacceptable and unjustified reason [...] Using this issue for yet another round of speculation raises serious doubts and creates the impression that the European External Action Service did not genuinely wish to hold the meeting and that Brussels is not prepared to hear Georgia’s well-argued positions — including on the matters that were used to justify the suspension of political dialogue with Georgia,” the statement says.

 The postponement follows reporting by RealPolitika, which, citing sources in Brussels, said one reason for the decision was the Georgian government’s attempt to include sanctioned individuals in its official delegation. The EU has not publicly commented on this claim, but it comes amid growing tensions over democratic backsliding and the ruling Georgian Dream party’s increasingly confrontational rhetoric toward European institutions.

The EU–Georgia Human Rights and Democracy Dialogue has taken place annually since 2009, reviewing the state of human rights and democratic reforms in the country.