Georgian Parliament Speaker: only two Eastern Partnership countries at EuroNest signals European Parliament’s missteps

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the fact that only two Eastern Partnership countries were represented at the EuroNest session showed that something was not being done correctly on the part of the European Parliament.

Papuashvili’s comments came after Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, on Monday addressed an open letter to the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly, noting that the recent trajectory of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly raises serious concerns regarding its adherence to the foundational principles and objectives enshrined in the EuroNest PA’s Constituent Act and the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit.

In a letter, Makhashvili further highlighted that the Georgian Parliament’s delegation had refrained from participating in the 12th Ordinary Session of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan.

Papuashvili noted that EuroNest was isolating itself from the Eastern Partnership and wanted regional policy to align with its own political preferences

“As for the politicians invited to the EuroNest session, in reality, under the guise of NGOs, members of the National Movement party, Lelo, European Georgia, and Droa have been invited. So we are dealing with an absolute falsehood when representatives of the National Movement are invited under the NGO quota, and in fact, this indicates whose side EuroNest and the European Parliament consider Georgia to be on”, Papuashvili said.

“When we talk about EuroNest, specific individuals are behind it; Ms. Rasa Juknevičienė and her hostile attitude toward the Georgian people are well known, so it is not surprising that Rasa Juknevičienė, who is close to the National Movement, invites National Movement members to EuroNest under the guise of NGOs. This, of course, is shameful”, he noted.

He further added that the Georgian Dream party couldn’t legitimize the hostile rhetoric that some Members of the European Parliament have toward the choice of the Georgian people and the Government.

“It is not surprising that Ms. Rasa Juknevičienė, a comrade-in-arms of Gorbachev, behaves this way. We have long been observing Soviet-style actions in the European Parliament, which reflect the influence of post-communist countries that believe they should have guardianship over the Georgian people. It seems that these tendencies are evident for all to see”, he concluded.