Georgian Parliament Speaker: Georgian people's choice needs no foreign legitimacy

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said Georgia did not require foreign validation for its elections, echoing a sentiment from an OSCE/ODIHR representative.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Papuashvili noted that if any country's ambassador thought that the choice of the Georgian people should not be legitimised, they were sorely mistaken.

“If any ambassador in this country believes that they should not legitimise the choice of the Georgian people, they are sorely mistaken. No one needs anyone's legitimacy”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili emphasised that such external interference negatively impacts international relations. He cited resolutions from the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which recently decided to set conditions for recognizing the credentials of the Georgian delegation, as examples of actions that complicate relationships.

He further elaborated on the concept of legitimacy, referencing Rasa Juknevičienė, a Member of the European Parliament.

“As soon as Rasa Juknevičienė imagined that her legitimacy is needed by another country, and as soon as any country on the face of the earth allows Rasa Juknevičienė to legitimise it, that country will end there. Georgia's three-thousand-year history will end there if our people need Rasa Juknevičienė's legitimacy”, he concluded.