Georgian Parliament Speaker assesses simultaneous attack on country’s sovereignty, Orthodox Church as attack on idea of ​​Georgian statehood

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday claimed the simultaneous attack on the sovereignty of the Georgian state and the Georgian Church was an attack on the idea of ​​Georgian statehood.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the European Parliament resolution did not only confront Georgia's democratic institutions but directly concerned the second historical pillar of the Georgian state - the Georgian Orthodox Church.

“The mention of the church in the report in the context of Russian religious networks and influence operations represents the first open attack on the Georgian Church by an official European institution and offends the religious feelings of millions of believers. In addition, this dangerous precedent creates the feeling that the European Parliament, as in other cases, was the first to test the ground for such attacks”, the Speaker said.

“A simultaneous attack on the sovereignty of the Georgian state and the Georgian Church is, in essence, an attack on the idea of ​​Georgian statehood. When the European Commission and the ruling political forces of the EU member states respond to such disinformation and political sabotage with silence or support, they must understand that they will not be able to wash their hands of it and shift the responsibility to the hated European Parliament. Therefore, it is of principle for us that the European Commission distances itself from such a blatant attack on the Georgian Church by the European Parliament”, he concluded.