Georgian Parliament official: Eurocrats harshly meddle in Georgia but tell US non-interference is alliance principle

David Matikashvili, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules, on Wednesday sharply criticised senior EU officials, accusing them of continuing to “blatantly interfere” in Georgia’s internal political processes while declaring the opposite in relation to the United States.

Matikashvili was responding to recent statements from European Council President António Costa and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas, who argued that political actors should refrain from meddling in the domestic affairs of other states. Their comments came amid controversy surrounding US criticism of developments in EU member states.

“They say countries should not interfere in one another’s internal affairs and should respect sovereignty. That is what we heard from Ms. Kallas. But in practice, we see something entirely different when it comes to Georgia. Eurocrats completely disregard our country and the will of the Georgian people to have a specific political party in power. They continue interfering very aggressively in our internal matters, while declaring something entirely different when speaking about the United States, as if non-interference is a principle of alliance. Does that mean the EU and Georgia do not have an alliance?” the Parliament official said.

Costa and Kallas both stressed this week that the EU “should not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries”, comments made in response to criticism directed at the US. “We do not intend to intervene in the domestic affairs of other states”, the two officials stated.

However, in Georgia, Kallas has frequently commented on internal political developments, a practice that Georgian officials describe as contradictory to her recent statements.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also addressed the matter, remarking that Kallas’s statement could only be considered truthful “in one context - if she does not view Georgia as a country”.