Georgia reportedly fired officials handling Euro-Atlantic integration

Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has abolished units working on inter-agency coordination of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration process, which is considered as a part of a broader effort to halt the country’s integration into the European Union.

Tornike Parulava, Director of the Euro-Atlantic Integration Department at Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced his dismissal after 24 years in diplomatics service, along with the termination of the entire department, stating it occurred 'without any hand-over or transition plan.'

He claimed that the move was part of a broader effort to dismantle departments responsible for European and Euro-Atlantic coordination in all state institutions. He also revealed that his wife, an employee of the Parliament's Committee on European Integration, was dismissed the same week.

"The units tasked with coordinating interagency and sectoral reforms and communicating them to Brussels have been dismantled," Parulava wrote. "This clearly signals that there is no intention to continue these processes, even in the long term."

He warned that by the time Georgia reaches its stated goal of EU membership in 2028, the country could be even further behind in its integration efforts than it is today.

Parulava also condemned the way the process was handled, describing it as 'inhumane.' He said the dismissals were carried out without prior notice, communication, or any attempt to ease the impact on staff.

"The culmination came at the end of the week — dismissal orders were issued on Saturday night and Sunday, in a conveyor-belt fashion," he said. "The word 'inhumane' probably best describes it all."

According to local media reported, employees who distanced themselves from Georgian Dream’s November 28, 2024 decision to suspend Euro-integration had been dismissed from various public agencies.

On 29th November, Tornike Parulava and dozens of other Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees issued a joint statement, asserting that removing Georgia’s EU accession negotiations from the agenda until 2028 contradicted the country’s strategic interests and violates the constitution.

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