Thousands of people in Tbilisi protested for a closer relationship with the European Union, days after the European Commission proposed postponing Georgia’s candidacy. Waving Georgian, Ukrainian and EU flags, about 60,000 protesters gathered outside the Georgian parliament for the “March for Europe” on Monday. Many held placards reading “We are Europe” as the EU anthem, the Ode to Joy, was sung at the rally. Nodar Rukhadze, one of the organizers of the march, said the aim of the demonstration was to send a message “that the people of Georgia have made a European choice and are ready to defend that choice”. On June 17, the European Commission recommended to the European Council to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, but said it would “return (by the end of 2022) and assess how Georgia meets the conditions before being granted candidate status”. country ». The Commission also recommended that Georgia be given “the European perspective”, which Ursula von der Leyen described as “a huge step forward” on Georgia ‘s path to accession. “The door is wide open,” he said, adding: “The faster you deliver, the faster progress will be made.” The rally was started by the leading pro-democracy groups of the Black Sea nation and was supported by all opposition parties to “demonstrate the commitment of the Georgian people to their European choice and to Western values”. “Europe is a historic choice and an ambition of the Georgians, for which all generations have made sacrifices,” the rally organizers said on Facebook. Ahead of the rally, Georgian President Salome Zurabichvili said in a televised speech: “We must mobilize on this historic day for our country. “Our message is that we want a European Georgia.” Georgia, which borders Russia to the north, applied to join the EU shortly after Moscow’s attack on its neighbor in February, as did Ukraine and Moldova. The 27 EU member states will discuss the three states’ applications on Thursday and Friday. Relations between Georgia and Russia have been strained since the Caucasus war in 2008, when Moscow recognized the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states and deployed thousands of troops there. Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have signed association agreements with the EU aimed at bringing them closer economically and politically. The agreements also include free trade agreements between the countries and the EU, as well as visa-free travel for its nationals for short stays in the Schengen area. But they do not provide any guarantee for possible participation.
