Georgia’s ambassador to Lithuania resigns after Tbilisi delays EU accession

Ambassador Salome Shapakidze has said she is stepping down as Georgia’s envoy to Lithuania following Tbilisi’s announcement that the country is postponing its EU membership bid until 2028.

“I submit my resignation as Ambassador of Georgia to Lithuania,” the diplomat posted on X on Saturday evening.

“It was honor and privilege to serve my country’s national interests for more than a decade and humbly contribute to its sovereignty and territorial integrity that go hand in hand with EuroAtlantic quest! Georgia is Europe!” she added.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry summoned Shapakidze on Friday to express “bitter disappointment” over the Georgia’s decision to freeze EU accession talks for four years.

Georgia was formally granted EU candidate status in December 2023. Polls show that 80 percent of its population backs joining the bloc. However, Brussels has put the process on hold, demanding concrete steps from Tbilisi to address what it calls democratic backsliding.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia would not seek to begin EU accession talks until late 2028 triggered a fierce backlash from the opposition and sparked a wave of protests across the country.

The prime minister’s announcement came hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary election due to alleged “significant irregularities”.

The Caucasian nation has faced turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the October 26 parliamentary election. Opposition groups claim the vote was rigged, while both the ruling party and the country’s electoral commission say the poll was free and fair.

A report by the observation mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stated that “[e]lection day was generally procedurally well-organized and administered in an orderly manner but marked by a tense environment and several incidents of physical altercations and widespread intimidation of voters, as well as citizen observers”.