“I can confirm that Georgia has not been invited to the Enlargement Forum,” said Guillaume Mercier, spokesperson for the European Commission on Enlargement, International Partnerships, and Mediterranean Affairs, in a comment to Euroscope editor Tamar Nutsubidze.

In response to the question of whether he confirms that Georgia has not been invited to the Enlargement Forum scheduled to take place in Brussels next week, the spokesperson replied: “Last week we published the Enlargement Report, which once again shows that Georgia is increasingly moving away from the path toward the European Union. The report notes that there has been backsliding in the reforms necessary for EU accession, which is unprecedented for a candidate country. The situation has deteriorated over the past few months, and we have observed democratic regression.”

According to him, Brussels has reduced its contacts with the Georgian government. “As for our relations with the Georgian authorities — as you know, we have reduced political contacts with the Georgian government, except for those aimed at finding ways to move forward in the current situation. Therefore, in connection with the Enlargement Report and the Enlargement Forum, I can confirm that, against this background, Georgia has not been invited to the Forum,” the spokesperson said.

For reference, the Enlargement Forum is scheduled to be held in Brussels on November 18.