Georgia leads continent in economic growth amid Brussels attacks, says Parliament Speaker

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the country has emerged as the leader in economic growth across the entire continent, a position it has maintained for several years despite direct attacks from Brussels.

Papuashvili's comments followed the release of a study by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, which placed Georgia in the top five globally for sustained improvements in living standards.

“Although there is a marginal minority acting on behalf of foreign interests and attempting to destabilise our country, the unity of the Georgian people and their Government has led us to this achievement”, the Speaker said.

“Today, we are the leader in economic growth across the continent. We have maintained this position for several years despite facing direct attacks from Brussels”, he continued.

The Speaker criticised what he described as “unfair attacks and, in some cases, deliberate harm against the Georgian people”, particularly regarding demands from Brussels to impose sanctions on Russia.

“When such demands come from Brussels, the individuals making them are either ignorant of the consequences such actions would have on our people or are acting maliciously. They were well aware that imposing sanctions would be catastrophic for Georgia and equivalent to the destruction of our economy. Yet, they still pressured us to implement them”, Papuashvili concluded.