Georgian Parliament Speaker: US, Georgia share common foe - Deep State

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said that the Director of US National Intelligence had effectively provided the “best test” for identifying “deep state” propagandists and “useful idiots”.

In his interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Papuashvili asserted that there was no such thing as “UNM-style” or “NGO-driven” propaganda in Georgia. Rather, he claimed these narratives were all part of a single propaganda network controlled and financed from one central hub.

“Anyone who uses the terms Russian, pro-Russian - this is the test. As soon as the public hears those words, they should immediately suspect that a person speaking is either a deep state propaganda agent or a useful idiot spreading that propaganda”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili further elaborated by referencing the former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili's stance on the 2016 US elections. He recalled Zourabichvili's interview, where she echoed the narrative, now “exposed” by the US, that Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 was due to Russian interference, and that similar interference occurred in Georgia.

“When asked about evidence, she said there was no need - it was a universally known fact. That’s exactly how this works. It’s a simple test: whenever you hear Russian, pro-Russian, or similar, assume with 100% certainty that the person is either a useful idiot of deep state propaganda, or an outright hired propagandist”, he continued.

When questioned about the potential for a “reboot” in relations with the United States, especially given the Georgian government's expectations and the Prime Minister's statement that “the removal of the US Ambassador, giving consent to our Ambassador, is a very important gesture, and we are ready to start with a clean slate, to renew strategic relations”, Papuashvili expressed optimism.

“These days, the Georgian Ambassador will present her credentials to the American President. So, we hope that this will create an opportunity for a reboot of these relations. Once again, I will say that the US and Georgia today have one enemy - the deep state. We know the anatomy of the deep state, we know its methods, and we know its goals. This is a common enemy for both countries, and now it is in our hands to defeat this enemy”, Papuashvili concluded.