Georgian Parliament Speaker accuses EU Commissioner of hypocrisy over silence on violent attack against Presidential Palace

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said that EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, had yet to condemn the violent storming of the presidential palace, including by individuals funded by the European Union.

In his remarks, Papuashvili described the EU Commissioner’s recent statements on Georgia as hypocritical, arguing that they lack moral credibility as long as she remains silent about the violent assault on the presidential palace.

“If it were possible, I would gather those 1,107,000 voters outside Ms. Marta Kos’s house so she could hear their voices. Apparently, Ms. Kos applies a selective approach to Georgia. It seems that, for Ms. Kos, the Georgian people are only those who are paid by her. Overall, this situation is very troubling”, Papuashvili said.

“Ms. Kos has yet to condemn the violent attack on the Presidential Palace - an attack carried out, among others, by people funded by the European Union. Until Ms. Kos and other bureaucrats in Brussels denounce the violence, distance themselves from it, and stop financing and protecting those responsible, such statements are nothing but hypocrisy”, he noted.

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”.