Georgian Parliament Speaker says Georgia faces new challenges as global security system crumbles

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said that the breakdown of the international security architecture had created serious uncertainty, making the protection of Georgia’s national interests the country’s top priority.

In his remarks, Papuashvili emphasised that the international security system that once existed had collapsed, and it was unclear how global events would unfold.

“We clearly see that the international security system that existed has collapsed, and this is the main challenge that Georgia faces today. We do not know how events will develop, we do not know what kind of geopolitical agreement the establishment of peace in Ukraine will be part of, and we must be prepared for the challenges that our country may face”, he said.

The Speaker argued that blindly following demands from Brussels - such as full foreign policy alignment, including sanctions against Russia - could have led Georgia into war and destruction.

“If we had been pro-European in the sense advocated by [MEP] Rasa Juknevičienė, we would have been a country destroyed by war, because we would have had to follow every demand coming from Brussels, including what we read in the latest report, where they demand alignment of our foreign policy, including full alignment with regard to Russia, and full alignment means imposing sanctions on Russia”, Papuashvili noted.

He further noted that the country's guiding principle should be a pro-Georgian policy rooted in national interests.

“It is precisely because we were oriented not toward a European agenda, not toward a Russian agenda, not toward any other agenda, but toward a Georgian agenda, that statehood was preserved. This is the main task of our policy today: in this truly chaotic world, which is returning to its foundations, where decisions are no longer imposed through false values, everyone has seen that politics driven by national interests is being pursued by major countries. In this uncertainty, what will save us are Georgian interests, and this will remain our guiding principle in the future”, Papuashvili concluded.