Georgian Parliament Speaker says Brussels has strayed from shared European values, urges respect for democracy

When discussing the strained relations between Georgia and the European Union, we must not forget the root cause of this situation, which is plain to see, said on Monday Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that Brussels had become detached from shared European values - first and foremost, from respect for democracy.

“When discussing the strained relations between Georgia and the European Union, we must not forget the source of this situation, which is evident. Today, Brussels has drifted away from our shared European values, the foremost of which is respect for democracy”, the Speaker said.

“It is impossible to respect democracy - the rule of the people - and at the same time interfere in the choices of other nations. The way and intensity with which Brussels and some of its ambassadors interfered in Georgia’s 2024 elections constitute a violation of both the UN Charter and the Vienna Convention - that is, the rules-based international order”, he continued.

He added that it was also inconsistent to claim respect for democracy while disregarding law and justice.

“Brussels has suffered enough defeats before Georgian justice to now reject its decisions with such arrogance. Let me remind you - Brussels lost in the cases of Saakashvili, Melia, and Gvaramia, in every single case that some of its dishonest bureaucrats labeled as politically motivated. Strasbourg ruled that Brussels had lied, while Georgian justice stood entirely correct”, Papuashvili noted.

The Speaker further stressed that respect for democracy was incompatible with tolerating politically motivated crimes.

“The EU Ambassador’s evasive non-response to the question about condemning the October 4 violence demonstrates the moral dead end Brussels has driven itself into. Modern Europe not only fails to distance itself from violence but openly sides with the perpetrators”, he said.

“The path is clear, and the solution is evident - for Brussels, the way to restore relations with the Georgian people lies through respect for European values. If Brussels truly wishes to return to those values, the first step must be to acknowledge and respect democracy”, Papuashvili concluded.