Georgian Parliament Speaker rejects ‘foreign policy laboratory’ approach to Georgia

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday said a country unable to defend its own national interests cannot build true partnerships in international relations and risks becoming a vassal state.

Speaking on Imedi TV show Open Air - Debates, Papuashvili emphasised that national interest must be the guiding principle for all political decisions.

“If a country cannot protect its own interests, it will not be able to form partnerships. The most it can achieve in international relations is vassalage. That is why it is important that we all act based on our national interests”, the speaker said.

He further added that every decision made by the Georgian government was evaluated based on two main criteria - whether it brings the country closer to restoring its territorial integrity and whether it contributes to improving the welfare of the population.

“Georgia should not be a laboratory for foreign policy experiments. You can experiment within your party, you can even experiment in your own country, but experimenting with other countries and ‘regime changes’ carries a completely different responsibility”, Papuashvili concluded.