Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Friday, December 15, to celebrate the European Union's decision to put the country on a formal membership path. Waving Georgian and EU flags, cheering crowds flooded Tbilisi's central Freedom Square on Friday evening.
At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, European Union leaders agreed to grant Georgia long-awaited official candidate status and to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. "I congratulate you on this historic event. Long live united, strong, European Georgia!" Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told the crowd. An orchestra performed Georgia's national anthem and the EU's "Ode to Joy."
Highlighting the deep polarization that mars Georgia's political landscape, President Salome Zourabichvili – who is at loggerheads with the ruling Georgian Dream party – was not invited onto the podium. Instead, she stood in the crowd. "This is a great celebration," she told reporters. "We made a very important step towards [joining] the EU."
Russia – which sees former Soviet republics as its traditional backyard – expressed discontent over EU's decision to advance the accession process of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move was aimed at "annoying Russia and antagonizing these countries towards Russia."
Georgia, which was annexed by Russia in the 19th century and again – after a short-lived period of independence – in 1921, last saw Russian troops invade in 2008. The five-day war 15 years ago marked the culmination of tensions with Moscow over Tbilisi's bid to forge closer ties with the West. Many in Georgia believe that EU membership would shield the Black Sea country from Moscow, whose Ukraine invasion renewed fears of aggression in Tbilisi.
Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine applied to join the 27-nation bloc after the Kremlin unleashed its all-out war on Ukraine last year. The EU granted candidate status to Kyiv and Chisinau at that time, but urged Tbilisi to first reform its judicial and electoral systems, reduce political polarisation, improve press freedom and curtail the power of oligarchs.
In November, the European Commission recommended that EU leaders grant Georgia official candidate status – with the caveat that the Tbilisi government introduces reforms. EU membership is enshrined in Georgia's constitution and supported – according to opinion polls – by around 80% of the population.