Georgian Parliament Speaker slams EU propaganda on integration process

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday criticised what he described as “inverted reality promoted through propaganda”, in reference to a letter from the European Union Ambassador to Georgia.

He stressed that while propaganda may have short-term effects, it cannot permanently conceal the truth.

The comments come in response to a letter from EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński, addressed to Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The letter challenges the longstanding campaign suggesting that Georgia itself had refused to start accession talks with the EU. The Ambassador specifically points out that, according to European Council conclusions, the EU made the decision to suspend Georgia’s accession process on June 27, 2024.

Papuashvili noted that Brussels had spent significant financial and political resources attempting to influence Georgian voters on the issue of halting the country’s EU integration process.

“We are witnessing absolutely open disinformation and propaganda directed against Georgia, which has intensified in recent years because Georgia refused to comply with certain demands and, following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, did not sacrifice its own country for the geopolitical games of others. After that, attacks on the Georgian Government began, along with attempts to replace the authorities, disinformation, and propaganda. One of the false narratives, in which Brussels invested enormous political energy and funds, claimed that the Georgian government itself halted the EU integration process. This is an absolute lie. The truth, as stated in this letter, is that back in June 2024, it was Brussels that, in order to influence Georgian voters, decided to halt the integration process”. Papuashvili said