Ruling Georgian Dream party MP: Georgia will pursue its own sovereign path toward EU integration

Tornike Paghava, the Deputy Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, said on Tuesday that Georgia had its own independent, peaceful and sovereign path toward European integration, guided by its own strategic vision, and would continue pursuing it regardless of the views of European bureaucrats.

Paghava made the remarks during a plenary session of the Georgian Parliament, responding to recent statements by European politicians about Georgia’s progress toward EU integration and comparisons with Ukraine and Moldova.

“I would like to respond to the unfair statements made by European bureaucrats in recent days, suggesting that Georgia is lagging behind Ukraine and Moldova on the path to European integration and should follow the same course as these two countries”, Paghava said.

He argued that there were no objective state-level criteria or economic indicators demonstrating that Georgia was behind either country, claiming that international studies, including those conducted by the European Union, showed Georgia performing better across measurable indicators.

Paghava also referred to remarks by the President of Finland, who described Ukraine as a buffer zone and a deterrent against Russia, as well as a statement by the President of Moldova that unification with Romania had not been ruled out as a possible path toward European integration.

“The paths of both countries are clear”, he noted.

According to Paghava, the Georgian Dream party’s 2011 manifesto stated that Georgia should not become an arena for confrontation between global powers but should instead serve as a platform for international cooperation.

“Despite our utmost respect for every country, Georgia cannot become either a buffer zone or a deterrent. Nor will Georgia relinquish its sovereignty or take as its guiding principle resolutions that declare Mikheil Saakashvili a political prisoner. The Georgian state and the Georgian people have turned that page of history”, Paghava said.

He argued that, rather than serving as a buffer zone, Georgia could fulfil its historic role as a bridge connecting East and West and become a key link between the region and the European Union.

Paghava said Georgia could facilitate the transit of energy resources and goods produced in Central Asia to European markets, noting their considerable importance to Europe.

“This is not just rhetoric. The Georgian Government, led by Irakli Kobakhidze, is implementing specific infrastructure and economic projects to enable Georgia to fulfil this mission as a state”, he continued.

Paghava also outlined several infrastructure projects that he said would strengthen Georgia’s role as a regional transport and energy hub. These include the construction of Anaklia Port, the expansion of Poti Port, the modernisation of Georgian Railways, the completion of highways meeting international standards, and the Black Sea submarine electricity cable project.

He described the undersea cable project as unprecedented in scale, saying it would connect Georgia’s electricity system with that of Europe.

“This is how we envision the expansion of Georgia’s geopolitical and geoeconomic role. This is Georgia’s path to European integration - a peaceful and dignified path”, Paghava added.

“Georgia will stubbornly continue along this path, regardless of whether any European bureaucrat approves of it”, he concluded.