Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze responded sharply to Georgia’s ranking in the European Commission’s Well-Functioning Government Index, where the country placed 38th among the world’s top 40 governments. Kaladze claimed Georgia is ahead of many EU member and candidate states, crediting reforms and progress.

He criticized what he called biased assessments by some European officials, accusing them of using misinformation and double standards, particularly because Georgia refused to join sanctions or open a second front in the war in Ukraine.

Kaladze emphasized that maintaining peace remains the government’s top priority, warning of the devastating consequences of war.

On concerns about a possible suspension of Georgia’s EU visa-free regime, he said the country remains committed to visa liberalization, but will not bow to “destructive external demands.”

He also rejected the European Commission’s recommendations, calling them baseless and politically motivated, especially dismissing claims about political prisoners as “a distortion of reality.”