The EU must speed up steps to include Georgia in the bloc to protect it from Russia, the country’s president said, hinting Brussels had left Ukraine too late.
Salome Surabichvili said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created “an opportunity” for the EU to welcome neighboring nations aspiring to be part of the union.
“We don’t have to give [Russia] the idea that there are weaknesses that no one defends,” she told the Financial Times.
“[The EU] must find a way to answer our long wait. . . Make us feel like part of the family.”
Former Soviet states of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have all declared their intention to become members of the EU, are members of the bloc’s Eastern Partnership Initiative and have association agreements with it, covering trade ties and integration issues.
Ukraine submitted an application for membership on Monday, in a move President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv “deserved” it.
In his declaration of war last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said military force was needed to defeat a “Western . . . Empire of Lies” from expanding into Ukraine.
“Leaving these countries out without any form of defense or solidarity has certainly encouraged Russia to believe that the chance to win back these countries is not closed forever,” Zurabishvili said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine came 14 years after a brief war with Georgia. Pro-Moscow separatists, backed by the Russian military, seized about a fifth of Georgia’s territory.
“Ukraine is fighting the battle for all of us,” said Zurabishvili, adding that Kiev’s long wait for eventual EU membership partially eased Putin’s attack.
“In a way, the situation in Ukraine [has arisen] because that perspective was so far away, because [membership] did not come about.”
The EU has strict criteria for potential future members and certain standards that must be met before an application can go through dozens of stages. Georgia is not yet an official candidate, while the latest acceding country, Croatia, took 10 years to go from application to membership.
Once seen as a model candidate country for its vibrant democracy and strong Western perspective, Georgia’s star has waned in recent years amid allegations of rule of law violations, contested elections and a crackdown on the opposition by the ruling party. Georgia said last year it was ready to bid in 2024.
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Zurabichvili said she welcomes the emergence of a “strong Europe” after Putin’s invasion, with the EU imposing tough sanctions on Moscow and agreeing to supply Kyiv with arms and Germany promising to increase its defense spending.
She noted that the EU had not shown the same determination after the 2008 war with Georgia or the 2014 annexation of Crimea. “Probably the lack of those reactions is what made Putin what he has become,” she said.
“There used to be this idea that if you were trying to comfort the Russian leadership, not confront them, you were trying to find some form of understanding with them that they would win. . . And it never worked,” she said. “And now we have the realization.”
Surabichvili met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday. After their talks, Michel said the EU “understands very well that it is important to make concrete progress to ensure that the strong ties between Georgia and the EU are very visible and tangible for the people of Georgia”.
“We have waited as long as Ukraine,” said Zurabishvili. “We are on the same path, we need to be counted. . . We should not be forgotten.”
Video: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: what next? | FT Live
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