Parliament Speaker urges fact-based view against “fantasies” of Georgia’s Russian return

After the event marking Georgia's Independence Day, the Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili addressed journalists. Among the media representatives was an international journalist, who asked Papuashvili what he would say to those who believed that Georgia was returning to Russia's sphere of influence.

In response, Papuashvili dismissed such assertions.

“They should abandon their fantasies, step out of their perceptions, and look at the facts”, Papuashvili responded.

“And the fact is that Georgia, unlike the previous [UNM] Government that was in power until 2012, did not cede the country's territories to the occupying force, and after that, Georgia did not seek to establish relations in exchange for the country's territory. This is the difference”, he continued.

He further elaborated, stating that “therefore, if you judge by the facts, the Saakashvili Government, which even now some European governments and political groups support, ceded 20 percent of Georgia's territories to the Russian occupying force”.