On October 15, Gareth Ward, the British Ambassador to Georgia, announced that the UK has decided to freeze the bilateral ministerial talks known as the Wardrop Dialogue, as well as suspend Defense Staff talks and halt a new cybersecurity program. This marks the first time in a decade that the dialogue has been paused.

Ambassador Ward revealed that prior to his appointment in July, he was optimistic about Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory and economic outlook. However, his perspective changed after witnessing the Georgian Government's democratic backsliding and anti-Western rhetoric. He expressed concerns about the damage to Georgia’s relations with the UK and other Western allies, particularly in light of the ruling party's controversial Foreign Agents Law and its manifesto proposing a ban on opposition parties.

The ambassador stressed that the UK remains committed to supporting Georgia’s NATO ambitions but noted that actions undermining democracy and human rights are incompatible with this trajectory. He also criticized recent legislative initiatives by the Georgian Dream party, including the Foreign Agents Law and the Anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law, which he argued stifle free speech and harm civil society.