Georgian Elections: What is at stake? – Interview with Ambassador Gigi Gigiadze
The upcoming elections in Georgia will be crucial for the country’s future. The results could either solidify the recent political […]
The upcoming elections in Georgia will be crucial for the country’s future. The results could either solidify the recent political […]
The upcoming elections in Georgia will be crucial for the country’s future. The results could either solidify the recent political shift towards Russia or bring a change in leadership that restores Georgia’s pro-Western trajectory.
In the latest episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social), talks with Ambassador Gigi Gigiadze, Senior Fellow at the Economic Policy Research Center in Tbilisi, and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia about recent political trends and the importance of the election.
Play on SoundCloud or see the full transcript down below the show notes.
Show notes
This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.
This podcast, as well as previous episodes, is available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcast, Stitcher and Spotify.
The picture that Ricardo mentions on the intro is this one.
Also a big thank you to our friends at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that provides uncensored, trusted news to audiences in 23 countries where a free press is under threat, and with a number of award-winning journalists in its team, the Georgian service of RFE/RL, Tavisupleba [meaning`Freedom` in Georgian], provides politically and financially independent journalism. They did a wonderful job in welcoming us to their studio and let us record with their equipment.
Today, I will start the episode in a slightly different way, but as usual, we thank you so much for listening to our podcast. I’m going to share with you a personal experience. I was privileged to attend the Black Sea Security conference that was an organisation from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation South Caucasus, the Europe Georgia Institute, two member organisations of the European Liberal Forum, and our friends at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation South Caucasus. As I arrive in lovely Tbilisi and go to visit the parliament where we all remember the protests from brave Georgians against the foreign agent law and also the iconic image of Nana Malashkhia and other residents of Tbilisi standing against water cannons heading down Shota Rustaveli Avenue, my heart was warmed on what was already a very pleasant evening by all the European Union flags and Georgia flags that were stencilled or painted in the street. In fact, the mall that contains the Liberty Square subway station has a large digital board that occasionally shows a caption of the EU and the Georgia flag waving in the wind and I will put this picture on today’s podcast show notes.
However, in the following days of the conference my heart shrunk several sizes. Our liberal democratic Europe in Georgia is very worried. They are worried that the election on the 26th of October could reelect Irakli Kobakhidze from the party Georgian Dream. And this, they are fearful, will close down the small window of Georgia being a candidate state to the European Union. And this could go on for a decade or even more. And this is in a country where 85% of Georgians, 70% fully and 15% somewhat, are in favour of EU membership.
So a decision was made to have this special episode to convey to you the importance of this election in Georgia and for that no one better to talk about this and what’s at stake than our guest Gigi Gigiadze, former ambassador, now a senior fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre in Tbilisi. Adding to my thanks to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation South Caucasus and the Europe Georgia Institute, I also want to give a big shout out to our friends at Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty with the Georgian service Radio Tavisupleba. They are doing courageous, admirable work in Georgia and in Tbilisi, and please check them out in the bio of the show notes and support them if you can. This is a crucial time for the EU project from France to the Netherlands, from Austria to Germany, from Bulgaria to Georgia, we need to do all that we can so that liberals and democrats continue building this project. So with that in mind, I bring you Ambassador Gigi Gigiadze.
I’m here with Ambassador Gigi Gigiadze. Ambassador, thank you so much for coming to the podcast.
Thank you for having me.
So, Ambassador, it’s very interesting here in the streets of Tbilisi, which is a lovely city, to see so many European Union flags. Myself, as a staunch European Union defender, it warms my heart. But we are just at the Black Sea Security Conference and you did explain in the panel the fact that there is such high support among Georgians for NATO and US sanctions. But of course, that has to be managed in a way that people don’t feel defrauded. So please explain that a little more.
Georgia is really a unique country in terms of its support towards the European Union and NATO. For the last 33 years, after regaining our independence, Georgians have been uninterruptedly, continuously supporting our integration with the European Union and NATO. And this choice was made in the very first months of our independence. It is a very logical, very rational, and normal destination for Georgia to become part of the European family of nations. We have always been very clear in supporting this idea. The situation right now is quite complicated, I would say, because the current government of Georgian Dream, which came to power in 2012, is reversing the path of Georgian integration. They are reversing from west to north. And this is very concerning because they have somehow managed to deceive, for at least the last ten years, both the West and their own population, claiming that they are pro-European and doing everything to advance in that direction. But in reality, things have deteriorated over the last twelve years.
Now we are facing a very difficult choice because this government is revealing itself daily as anti-Western, anti-European, and indeed pro-Russian. If, after the 26th of October parliamentary elections this year, they manage to stay in power, this country will face a real existential threat. Georgia is a European country. I need to explain this very clearly. Georgia is one of the oldest European nations, to be frank, and we have always had special relations with Europe. These relations did not start in the 1990s but much earlier. Some of our most prominent figures worked on the European idea even in the 19th century, to say the least. We could go even further on how Georgia should look within the EU, on the European continent, in the European family. So this history spans several hundred years.
Therefore, it was very logical for the Georgian government at the beginning of the last century to make a clear statement towards the EU and NATO. We considered that the EU and NATO would be our sole guarantors of our security, economic prosperity, and cultural diversity. And therefore, it was a logical choice for us at that time to move towards both organisations. But now, as I said, this government claims to be European while damaging all existing relations with the EU. We are backtracking on our integration path with the EU and facing a very difficult reality. To be frank, I remain optimistic about the elections. Of course, I strongly feel they will try to falsify them, and this falsification could be unprecedented in our recent history. But we are preparing ourselves, inviting as many observers as possible, both medium and long-term, to watch what will happen in Georgia.
We are crossing our fingers because we need to return to normal relations with the civilised world. What is happening right now in Georgia is out of the ordinary. Indeed. And we just had a case in Serbia where our Serbian liberal friends were also complaining about election shenanigans. Regardless of the result, do you think there is lasting damage, as you mentioned the government’s damage to institutions, but also to the high support among Georgians? Could this support decrease? This is a very interesting question because after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this government immediately engaged in anti-Western propaganda and took Russian propaganda tools on board, fighting the West by all possible means. But at the same time, in order to keep a percentage of their supporters who are pro-European, they also mentioned the European Union, creating the impression that they wanted to deal further with the EU. But despite very heavy and damaging anti-Western, anti-European propaganda over the last two years, we had the highest support in our history towards the EU and NATO. It was 90% for the EU and 80% for NATO, which is unprecedented. So their efforts backfired. It is important to understand that in Georgian society if you push an anti-European message, there is not much room for manoeuvre. Everyone understands that what this government has been doing over the last twelve years – gradually increasing relations with Russia and distancing itself from the West and the EU – serves one country, and that country is Russia.It is not in the interest of the Georgian people or Georgia’s relations with the EU or NATO. Only Russia has benefited from this backsliding in Georgia’s democratic institutions and freedoms. The only country that could benefit is Russia. So, these elections on 26th October will be existential for our future.
Well, I remember watching the images of Liberty Square in my home country and seeing people with European Union flags against those water cannons. That really opened our eyes to the situation in Georgia. But let’s stay with that, because you mentioned something important: that people understand the importance of the European Union and Georgia being part of it. But again, going back to this hollowing out of institutions, if we talk about the rule of law or freedom of the media, do you think that Georgian people will immediately shift if this government loses the election, or will there be residual corruption that needs to be addressed?
This government is highly corrupt. They are now trying to limit free voices from civil society organisations and the remaining free media outlets in Georgia. Earlier this year, they introduced the law under the influence of foreign agents, which is a copy-paste of the Russian and Belarusian laws, and we in civil society refer to it as the “Russian law.” Despite massive protests and requests from international partners like the European Union, the United States, and the civilised world, they pushed it through. This law effectively cancels Georgia’s European path. They received warnings from the EU that this unlawful and unjustified law, which violates human rights, would halt further negotiations on Georgia’s EU membership. Despite this, the Georgian government still claims they can start negotiations with the EU. It’s a cynical approach. The European Union is rightfully suspicious. They have openly stated that with such laws, no negotiations with the EU will proceed, and Georgia risks missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the EU alongside Ukraine.
So, Ambassador, looking ahead to the elections and a potential change in Georgia’s trajectory, why is Georgia so important to the European Union?
Georgia is a key country for the EU. Culturally, historically, and geographically, Georgia belongs to Europe. It’s one of the oldest and most genuine European countries. From a European perspective, the success of the European project is incomplete without Georgia. Additionally, Georgia lies at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. We host several crucial gas and oil pipelines linking Central Asia with Europe. Without Georgia, the EU loses its connection to this region and its access to the Black Sea. Russia understands this well, which is why Georgia is of strategic importance to both Europe and Russia.
Beyond politics and economics, Georgia also embodies Europe’s cultural diversity. It is a microcosm of the European Union, with diverse regions, cultures, and traditions. Georgia truly belongs to the European family of nations. Let’s not allow ourselves, or the EU, to lose Georgia again. Let’s hope the Georgian people decide well in the upcoming election.
Finally, in the last few minutes I have with you, tell us about the work you do at the Economic Policy Research Centre in Tbilisi.
The Economic Policy Research Centre is one of the oldest civil society organisations in Georgia, established in 1994. This year we celebrate our 24th anniversary. We run several important projects, including the Tbilisi International Conference, which is the largest security and policy conference in the region, growing every year. We are also authorised to translate and publish the American Purpose journal by Francis Fukuyama in the Georgian language. We work closely with the European Union, especially with small and medium-sized businesses, helping them understand the benefits of the EU association agreement. We are deeply involved in Black Sea issues, EU-NATO relations, and communicating with the Georgian population about the benefits of EU and NATO integration. This is all done to develop Georgia into a more prosperous and European country.
I’ll put all the links to your organisation in the show notes so that our listeners can follow your work. Ambassador, it was a privilege having you on the podcast. Thank you so much, and I hope we’ll have you back after the elections to talk about Georgia’s future in the EU. With pleasure. Thank you very much, it was an honour to be here. Thank you. This is all for now. I’ll be back soon with more episodes. You can always visit our website at Liberalforum.eu to know more about the activities of the European Liberal Forum. Until the next episode, let’s keep making the world a better place.