Georgian Parliament Speaker warns against “Sovietization” of EU

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said that equating certain bureaucrats in Brussels and some European politicians with Europe and its people was an “anti-European statement”.

Papuashvili’s remarks came in response to a journalist's inquiry about the apparent contradiction between the ruling Georgian Dream party's criticism of the European Union and the fact that its members and their families benefit from European advantages.

The Speaker clarified that the statements of individual European politicians or bureaucrats did not represent Europe as a whole, and the resemblance of their ideology to that of the Soviet Union did not reflect the views of the entire European Union.

“You are making an anti-European statement when you equate some Brussels bureaucrats and some European politicians with Europe and the European people. Europe and the European peoples are one thing, and specific bureaucrats who are busy with their own political agenda are another”, Papuashvili said.

“They betray the will of their own people and do not represent their interests. This is why it is crucial that we act promptly to prevent the EU from becoming Sovietised by some European politicians trying to impose their ideology”, he said.

Papuashvili further emphasised that “no one understands the meaning of the Soviet Union better than Georgians, who lived through it”.

“We know, we are experts in this. If they are experts in some other issues, we are experts in recognizing in time where the Soviet Union is. The Soviet style is very clearly visible in the behavior of some bureaucrats. Therefore, our task is that in 2030, when Georgia is ready for EU membership, when the issue of Georgia's EU membership decision arises, the Europe that awaits us there will be the Europe we are co-creating, and not the Soviet Union”, the Parliament Speaker concluded.