Georgian Parliament Speaker says those who support Saakashvili cannot be friends of Georgian people, “Poland must decide where it stands”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday criticised the Polish Government’s stance on the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, calling it an “unfriendly act” toward the Georgian people.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the Polish Government must determine whether it seeks relations with the Georgian people or supports “the ideology of Saakashvili’s regime, which created a system of torture”.

“A Government that admires Mikheil Saakashvili and considers him a moderniser cannot build a relationship with the Georgian people”, he said.

“It’s a matter of principle - those who are friends of Saakashvili cannot be friends of the Georgian people”, the Speaker stressed.

Papuashvili further highlighted that Georgia had demonstrated goodwill by allowing a group of Polish doctors to visit Saakashvili. However, he claimed this gesture was met with betrayal, alleging that one of the doctors attempted to smuggle out test results and that the group acted against Georgia’s interests.

“This was a stab in the back. That group sabotaged the Georgian people”, he noted, adding that the decision by Poland to invite certain figures to recent international formats was in line with this unfriendly approach.

The Speaker pointed to a recent incident in which a committee chair invited to a parliamentary format was withdrawn, describing it as part of a pattern of behavior.

“It’s unfortunate that the Polish authorities seem ready to sacrifice the friendship between the Polish and Georgian people for the sake of their support for Saakashvili”, Papuashvili concluded.