Georgian Parliament Speaker says Brussels deviated from common European path in relations with Georgia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the problem was that Brussels had deviated from the common European path regarding Georgia and had sought to set the country’s course through a tutelary approach and directives.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the problem was that Brussels did not recognise the sovereignty of the Georgian people.

“The main problem in our relations with Brussels is that we do not agree on core values. Our values are respect for the sovereignty of the people, the rule of law, democracy, and respect for human rights. Unfortunately, Brussels has deviated from all four of these fundamental principles. Specifically, it does not recognise the sovereignty of the Georgian people to elect their own government, nor does it recognize their sovereignty to adopt and implement their own legislation”, Papuashvili said.

He emphasised that it failed to acknowledge the very principles on which European values should be based.

“Therefore, the problem today is that Brussels has deviated from the common European path in its relations with Georgia and is trying, through a guardianship approach and directives, to set our course - to decide, instead of the Georgian people, what laws we should adopt and what kind of governance we should have”, he concluded.