Georgian Parliament Speaker says Georgia will not follow EU’s confrontational policy

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Thursday that the ruling team would not follow Brussels’ confrontational policy, adding that the government remained at the negotiating table, waiting for a Brussels delegation to join them.

Papuashvili was commenting on remarks by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who said: “I do not expect us to have in-depth discussions on issues concerning Georgia or the Black Sea; however, as you know, these topics will likely still come up in the context of security matters”.

Speaking to journalists, Papuashvili said the European Union’s foreign policy was currently “very immature”, adding that no major state today took the bloc seriously as a global power.

“When Ms. [Kaja] Kallas says that an in-depth discussion of issues concerning Georgia and the Black Sea is not part of her remit, it reveals her superficiality. Naturally, she does not delve into the depths because her approach to foreign policy is superficial, and that is evident. This is precisely why the European Union’s foreign policy is currently so immature, and why it has lost its global role. There is no major state today that takes the European Union seriously as a global power. This is the direct result of the superficial and immature foreign policy pursued by Ms. Kallas and the Commission in general”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili also commented on the ongoing EU summit in Brussels, saying that Georgia’s exclusion from the gathering demonstrated which side was pursuing a boycott, acting destructively and obstructing dialogue in EU-Georgia relations.

“I think it is quite evident that in this relationship, the European Union is acting destructively, while Georgia is acting constructively. We reiterate that we are ready to wait for them at the negotiating table. I do not believe confrontation is the right path. After all, whenever the EU has opted for confrontation, it has lost out itself, while also leading other countries to make even greater mistakes and plunging them into serious trouble. Therefore, we do not think we should follow Brussels’ policy of confrontation. We remain at the negotiating table, waiting for Brussels’ representatives to join us there. We are acting constructively. It is time for the European Union to return to a constructive course as well”, he concluded.