Germany Freezes Upgrade of Scientific Cooperation with Georgia
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, February 27, 2025
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has suspended plans to enhance scientific cooperation with Georgia, German Ambassador Peter Fischer announced today, February 26. The decision impacts student mobility programs, research collaborations, and Georgia's involvement in EU-funded educational initiatives.
Fischer highlighted the significance of the freeze, noting that many Georgians who studied at German universities, often with German scholarships, would feel the loss. The suspension follows concerns over "Georgia's curbs on academic freedom and the halt of EU accession," he stated.
Despite the freeze, existing German financial support for education in Georgia, amounting to nearly one million euros, remains unaffected. The DAAD scholarships, which primarily support graduates, doctoral candidates, and post-graduate students, are also not impacted at this stage. However, Fischer warned that "Germany is monitoring and reviewing all aspects of relationships with Georgia with regret."
Georgian Education Minister Aleksandre Tsuladze responded to Fischer's remarks, stating that the decision does not impact any existing programs and applies only to a future cooperation project that had not yet begun. He emphasized that exchange programs, joint research projects, and scholarship opportunities remain unaffected. According to Tsuladze, the German ambassador's statement misrepresents the situation, as it refers only to discussions between the two ministries that were still in the preparatory stage.
Tsuladze also questioned the timing of the announcement, pointing out that the decision was based on a letter from the German education minister dated February 20 - the minister's last working day before leaving office. He expressed surprise that such a decision was made at the last moment, claiming it was intended to leave an unclear legacy for the incoming German government and create unnecessary tension in relations between the two countries.
The minister reiterated that there is no threat to ongoing German-Georgian educational collaborations and insisted that the suspension of discussions on future cooperation should not be misinterpreted as a broader shift in academic relations. He reassured that projects such as the DAAD scholarships would continue without interruption and that Georgia remains committed to maintaining strong educational ties with Germany.
