Georgian Parliament Speaker on Kaja Kallas’ statement: “We didn’t flee Soviets to find them in Brussels”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday strongly criticised statements made by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, asserting that Georgia had not escaped the Soviet Union only to find a similar system in Brussels.

Papuashvili’s comments came after Kallas indicated that the EU was observing “serious backsliding” in Georgia and was considering all options, including the suspension of visa-free travel, if certain conditions are not met within a specific timeframe.

“We did not flee the Soviet Union towards the European Union to find the Soviet Union again in Brussels”, Papuashvili stated, responding to Kallas's remarks.

“I call on the Brussels bureaucracy to return to the path of respecting human rights”, he continued.

Papuashvili expressed dismay at what he perceived as Kallas’ disregard for incidents involving violence against Georgian police and setting fire to the Georgian Parliament building.

“It seems that for Kallas, a police officer who suffered burns represents no value. It seems that for Kallas, police officers being kicked means nothing. It seems that for Kallas, the burning of the Georgian Parliament means nothing”, Papuashvili said.

He further questioned Kallas’ understanding of European values.

“It seems she does not realize what European values are. Having an EU passport in one's pocket does not at all mean sharing European values. The Baltic political elite, which has not been able to escape the Soviet mentality, provides a good example of this”, he concluded.