Georgian Parliament Speaker says Kaja Kallas’ snub by US partner reflects EU leadership failure

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday sharply criticised the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), accusing them of holding hostile intentions toward Georgia.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Papuashvili commented on the activation of the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism, under which an expert mission is being established to assess the alleged deterioration of human rights in Georgia.

“The creation of such a mission demonstrates the harmful and malicious intentions that some actors have toward Georgia, so they can constantly keep us under scrutiny. Moscow is symbolic here. In the past, inspectors arrived directly from Moscow; now, inspectors are coming through the Moscow Mechanism”, the Speaker said.

He went on to link the issue to broader criticism of the European Union, stating that EU policies have led Europe to its current situation. As an example, Papuashvili pointed to reports that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was not received by her American counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“This is exactly what brought Europe to where it is today. This is where Brussels has brought the European Union, and now they are taking out their frustration on a small country like ours”, he continued.
Papuashvili also accused European leaders of avoiding direct involvement in the war in Ukraine.

“If they have the courage and ability, they know what they should do - go to Ukraine and fight. Instead, they avoid this, push Ukrainians into war, and President Zelenskyy is left pleading to be told whether Ukraine will truly be accepted into the EU, only to be brushed aside”, he concluded.