Parliament Speaker expresses regret over EU Delegation's silence on WWII anniversary during Europe Day

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday expressed regret over the EU Delegation's failure to acknowledge the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism during its Europe Day celebration in Georgia.

In a social media post, Papuashvili expressed disappointment that the EU celebration on May 9 did not include any congratulations or commemorations for the Georgian people and World War II veterans.

“It is unfortunate that the EU Delegation held an event to mark Europe Day without offering a single word of congratulations to the Georgian people and our war veterans on May 9 and the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism”, the Speaker said.

“With 300,000 Georgian heroes fallen on the battlefield, Georgia made a tremendous sacrifice in the fight against Nazism. Without this struggle, Europe would not be what it is today. Without this sacrifice, there would be no European Union, no Europe Day”, Papuashvili continued.

Papuashvili warned against what he called the “deliberate ignoring” of May 9, suggesting that replacing one commemoration with another undermines the continent's shared memory.

“Commemorating Europe Day and the victory over fascism should not be mutually exclusive. On the contrary, it was the defeat of fascism that gave birth to modern Europe. It is deeply concerning if ignoring May 9 is meant to substitute one memory with another. Shared memory is what makes our continent a civilization. True Europe lies in honoring the past”, he concluded.