Georgia’s ruling party official: integration into Euro-Atlantic space civilisational choice we won’t revisit

Levan Machavariani, the first deputy chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Monday said that integration into the Euro-Atlantic space remains Georgia’s “civilisational choice” and that the government does not intend to reconsider it, noting that the goal is enshrined in the country’s constitution.

In his remarks, Machavariani noted that there is currently a certain slowdown in the European integration process, although this has been caused by the European Union itself.

“Our integration into the Euro-Atlantic space is reinforced by the constitution, and this applies to both NATO and the European Union. However, we have difficulties, and we have spoken about these difficulties many times. Today, the European integration process is halted. No matter how hard the radical opposition tries to blame us for this suspension, everything stopped in June 2024. There is a letter from Mr. Herczyński to the ministry of foreign affairs, which emphasises that the suspension on their part occurred in June 2024, and they used two projects as a pretext. One is the Georgian law on transparency, which the former US Ambassador and Eurocrats labeled as Russian, but it has been confirmed that there is nothing Russian about it”, he said.

Machavariani argued that the transparency law was aimed at strengthening national security and protecting sovereignty. He said the government had warned about risks of foreign interference and claimed that similar regulations have since been adopted or tightened in countries such as Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, while the European Union is also considering stricter measures. He also referenced organizations such as USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, asserting that concerns raised earlier by Georgian Dream had later been validated.

Addressing the legislation related to what he described as “anti-LGBT propaganda”, Machavariani called the issue a “red line” for the ruling party. He said the government considers the protection of family values and minors a priority and insisted that the risks cited are not unique to Georgia but are also debated in the United States and several EU member states.

“If someone accuses us of these being risks and threats invented by the Georgian Dream, they should leave us alone and we will oppose such narratives. However, these are not invented threats. These issues exist in the United States and in many EU countries, and therefore we decided to nip this problem in the bud. I can say on behalf of the entire team: even if they told us today that we would be admitted to the European Union tomorrow, but we must allow LGBT propaganda in Georgia - that is out of the question. We will not allow LGBT propaganda in Georgia”, Machavariani concluded.