Georgian Parliament Speaker: Georgia aims to be key hub of peace and stability in region

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said that Georgia intends to maintain relations with all its neighbouring countries, aiming to strengthen its position as one of the region’s key centres of peace and stability.

Commenting on the visit of an Iranian delegation to Armenia, Papuashvili said that every sovereign state has the right to pursue its foreign policy based on its own national interests.

He argued that criticism of Georgia’s foreign relations by foreign politicians, including US Congressman Joe Wilson, was unfounded.

“We see that countries of a similar size, with similar plans and foreign policy orientations in the same region, do not face such criticism. This once again confirms that remarks from politicians like Joe Wilson are unfounded and amount to a complete farce”, Papuashvili said.

He added that Georgia would continue to pursue balanced relations with all neighbouring countries without seeking approval from foreign actors.

“We intend to maintain appropriate relations with all our neighbours in order to strengthen our position in the region as one of the main centres of peace, distinguished by its stability”, the Speaker concluded.