“Hypocrisy - that is what European Union should be called” - Georgian Parliament Speaker accuses EU of hypocrisy over trade with Russia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused the European Union of hypocrisy following reports that Poland and Latvia purchased wine from other countries and then exported it to Russia as their own product.

In his remarks, Papuashvili said Georgia had been urged to impose sanctions on Russia despite Brussels being aware of the potential consequences of escalating tensions between Tbilisi and Moscow.

“Hypocrisy - that is what the European Union should be called. We see that no country refrains from making money during wartime, even as they publicly claim to have completely disengaged from the Russian market. We never bought into this hypocrisy from the outset. We have maintained that we act in accordance with our people’s national interests. It is in our people’s national interest to have access to markets, including the Russian market, for both exports and imports. This enables our businesses to generate revenue, supports economic growth, provides access to affordable energy resources, and allows our country to develop”, the Speaker said.

“On the one hand, the European Union claims to have severed its ties with Russian energy sources. In reality, however, the EU has paid Russia €350 billion since the start of the war - more than it has provided to Ukraine. Furthermore, it turns out that wine is being exported to Russia either directly or indirectly, through various other countries. So, what more do they want? Why are they taking issue with us in light of all this?” he continued.

Papuashvili further claimed that behind the European Union’s high-profile statements there was often a business interest, with European countries continuing to trade with Russia.