Georgian Parliament Speaker responds to Marta Kos: better candidate country on paper than state on paper

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said it was preferable for Georgia to be “a [EU] candidate country only on paper” than “a state only on paper”, responding to recent remarks by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.

Papuashvili’s comments came after Kos said Georgia was currently “a candidate country only on paper”, referring to what she described as a slowdown in the country’s EU integration process.

According to the Parliament Speaker, this was precisely the choice Georgia had faced.

“Had we listened to Brussels, Georgia today would be a state only on paper, for many reasons. Had we followed Brussels’ advice and escalated tensions with Russia, Georgia would have suffered economic damage similar to Moldova. Had we followed Brussels’ advice and moved toward escalation with Russia, Georgia would most likely have entered a new military confrontation, and today would be a country devastated by war, similar to Ukraine”, he said.

“Therefore, the main sin we have committed in the eyes of Brussels is that we do not follow its harmful recommendations, and it is the Georgian people who benefit from this”, Papuashvili noted.