In Tbilisi, after an attempted coup and sanctions pressure, they concluded that the orientation toward joining the European Union had not justified itself. Instead, the Georgian authorities focused on developing Eurasian ties, in particular achieving a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. Plans include turning Georgia into an international trade hub with Beijing's help. Details are in the RIA Novosti article.

In a recent annual EU report on human rights and democracy, Georgia is mentioned in the context of repression and laws restricting freedoms. The report notes brutal actions by security forces, which in some cases are qualified as torture. The authors believe that the current government is leading the country away from the democratic path, not allowing civil society to participate in governance and destroying the system of checks and balances.

For Tbilisi, such criticism was not a surprise. Recall that Georgia applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, and received candidate status in December 2023. However, in the fall of the following year, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of negotiations on European integration until 2028. The country adopted laws, including on foreign agents, which Brussels considered authoritarian. Tbilisi also refused to recognize the results of the parliamentary elections. As a result, candidate status was suspended, financial assistance programs were frozen, and the visa-free regime was partially canceled. The European Parliament demands that Georgia abandon its "authoritarian course."

Kobakhidze states that EU representatives, whom he calls members of the "party of global war," have a negative attitude toward the "Georgian Dream" government because of its refusal to stoke Russophobia. According to him, the "party of global war" tried to drag Georgia into the conflict and open a second front, which created an existential threat to the country. He also noted that the refusal to join sanctions destructive to the Georgian economy and the pursuit of a sovereign policy made Georgia a target for the European bureaucracy and Western leaders acting in concert with informal oligarchic forces.

Although European integration is enshrined in the constitution, calls to abandon this course are increasingly heard in Georgia. Brussels is accused of departing from traditional values and encroaching on the sovereignty of EU member states. An example is the proposal to approve foreign policy decisions by qualified majority rather than consensus. Deputy Parliament Speaker Nino Tsilosani noted that the EU seems not to plan to accept equal members, but intends to accept countries on a "slave principle" - only with obligations and without rights.

As relations with the EU deteriorate, Georgia increasingly looks to the East. The main task is the implementation of the "Middle Corridor" project, which will allow goods to travel between Europe and Asia, bypassing the Black and Caspian Seas, which will strengthen Tbilisi's economy. This requires modernizing ports, including Batumi and Anaklia.

Within this strategy, Georgia signed strategic partnership agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Astana and Tashkent expressed interest in developing Georgian ports. Kazakhstan has already invested about half a billion dollars in Georgia, becoming one of the largest investors.

Numerous cooperation agreements have been concluded with other Central Asian countries. In 2025, Georgia and Turkmenistan agreed on cooperation in the customs sphere, and in 2026, after four mutual visits, they agreed on the joint formation of transport routes and warehouses.

In June, Kobakhidze became the first Georgian leader in 34 years to visit Kyrgyzstan. After talks with President Sadyr Japarov, agreements were signed on cooperation in air traffic, education, veterinary medicine, and justice. The parties also decided to simplify trade procedures and increase the efficiency of transit transportation. A key point is the integration of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project with Georgia's transport infrastructure.

Tbilisi established diplomatic relations with Tajikistan in 1994, but the head of Georgia visited this republic for the first time only in June of this year. Kobakhidze and President Emomali Rahmon signed 11 bilateral documents, including an agreement on the creation of an intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. They also agreed to launch direct air service to strengthen business ties.

Georgia pays great attention to China. In July 2023, Tbilisi and Beijing announced a transition to strategic partnership, and in 2026 they brought it to a comprehensive level. This is understandable: Chinese goods will mainly go along the "Middle Corridor." Kobakhidze called China an exemplary country and a superpower committed to strengthening international cooperation and stability. He emphasized that China views Georgia as an equal partner, which is especially valuable against the backdrop of double standards in international relations.

Alexander Krylov, chief researcher at IMEMO RAS, noted in an interview with RIA Novosti that Georgia, unlike some other states, did not wish to sacrifice national interests for the sake of the European Union and is pursuing a multi-vector policy. Tbilisi intends to extract maximum benefit from its geographical position, actively working with China, including on the modernization of the Anaklia port. Against the backdrop of the conflict between Russia and the West, trade flows are shifting from north to south, and the "Middle Corridor" is becoming one of the most promising routes.

Archil Sikharulidze, founder of the SIKHA foundation research institute, believes that events in Ukraine forced Georgia to diversify its foreign policy. The administration of US President Joe Biden and Brussels tried to involve Tbilisi in the conflict with Russia. The pro-Western "Georgian Dream," realizing the risks, decided to act cautiously and pragmatically. In response, the EU and the US attempted to overthrow the government during the 2024 parliamentary elections. After that, the authorities presented a new formula in which the West no longer plays a key role, and remembered other states capable of providing real assistance.

Experts are confident that Georgia's intention to develop the "Middle Corridor" and defend national interests despite EU directives will bring tangible benefits in the long term. Ultimately, the West will have to abandon pressure on Tbilisi and use the transit services of the Transcaucasian republic.

Source: RIA Novosti