Georgian Parliament Speaker condemns EU Spokesperson’s statement as unacceptable attack on elected Government

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday strongly denounced remarks made by Anitta Hipper, the Spokesperson for the European Union’s External Action Service, describing them as “an unimaginable attack” on Georgia’s elected government.

Speaking to the media, Papuashvili accused Hipper of targeting the Georgian people and ignoring European standards.

“It is unimaginable to hear such an attack from a bureaucrat who has not been elected by anyone and was simply appointed. It is unnecessary even to discuss European standards in this context”, the Speaker said.

He further reiterated that Hipper had supported a rally on October 4 aimed at overthrowing the Georgian Government.

“I would like to once again remind the public and we must not forget that this [Anitta Hipper] is a person who supported a gathering organised for the purpose of overthrowing the government on October 4. For ten days afterwards, I personally drew attention to this almost daily and called on them to distance themselves from this overthrow attempt. The response was zero. Then came October 4, the overthrow attempt failed, and now they do not want to share responsibility”, he continued.

The Speaker noted that Hipper had twice commented following the failed attempt, both times attacking the Georgian Government instead of condemning the violence, including the storming of the President’s Palace.

“This is a weak attempt to evade responsibility for what she did - namely, encouraging and offering external support to an attempted government overthrow. These statements are an example of a verbal attack on the Georgian people and their government, and this must stop”, he said.

He accused Hipper of engaging in “cheap propaganda”, referencing Russian playbooks, intelligence services, and similar comparisons.

“Propaganda is understandable, but it should at least have its own style. Every time she uses Russian epithets against the Georgian people and their elected government, she will receive a strong response from us. It is unacceptable for such approaches to be tolerated when they utterly disregard the Georgian people”, Papuashvili concluded.

On October 4, large-scale protests in Tbilisi escalated into a dramatic confrontation, as a group of radical demonstrators tried to storm the presidential palace. The unrest occurred on the same day Georgia held municipal elections.

Authorities detained at least five opposition figures, including Paata Burchuladze. They are now facing charges of plotting to overthrow the government - a potential offense that could carry lengthy prison sentences.

Government officials described the events as a failed coup attempt orchestrated with foreign backing. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called the protests “an attempted overthrow of the constitutional order”.