Georgian Parliament Speaker criticised Brussels for refusal to open accession talks with Georgia, calling it “clear act of political retaliation, obstruction”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday criticised Brussels for its refusal to open accession talks with Georgia, calling it not just “unfair” but a “clear act of political retaliation and obstruction”.

Papuashvili’s comments came in response to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International. According to the 2024 index, Georgia maintains its leading position in the region and continues to rank first in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in terms of low corruption.

The Speaker noted that Georgia was ahead of seven EU and eleven NATO member states in the ranking, while outperforming all EU membership candidate countries.

He further accused the EU of hypocrisy and double standards, highlighting that while certain Brussels officials were attempting to paint a negative picture of Georgia’s progress, objective facts were telling a different story.

“At a time when the franchise NGO Transparency International Georgia, funded by Sweden, is working to destabiliსe the country, the real Transparency International has published the latest Corruption Perceptions Index. The results once again expose Brussels’ hypocrisy and double standards. While some EU bureaucrats try to push a narrative of Georgia’s so-called ‘backsliding, the facts prove the opposite. Georgia surpasses seven EU and eleven NATO member states. As for EU candidate countries - guess how many we outperform? All of them!” he concluded.