Georgian Parliament Speaker says national loyalty, not geopolitical labels, defines Georgia’s politics

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said there was no such distinction as pro-European or anti-European, pro-Russian or anti-Russian in governing the country, stressing that only loyalty to national interests should define political orientation.

In his remarks while presenting the annual report of the Parliament’s activities, Papuashvili noted that the past year had brought fundamental changes to international politics.

He emphasised that as states increasingly prioritised national interests, the notion of a black-and-white geopolitical world had faded, along with what he described as “mechanical labels” such as pro-Western or anti-Western, pro-Russian or anti-Russian.

The speaker highlighted that, in this context, the only relevant benchmark was whether policies served Georgia’s national interests.

“Today, there is only one defining measure - pro-Georgian or anti-Georgian. Any ‘pro-orientation’ other than Georgian ultimately distances the country’s policy from its national interest and turns it into an instrument of others’ goals”, he said.

Papuashvili added that this position should be stated “openly, clearly, and decisively”.

“In matters of governing our country, there is no pro-European or anti-European, no pro-Western or anti-Western, no pro-Russian or anti-Russian. There is only being Georgian or anti-Georgian, loyalty to national interests or betrayal of national interests”, the speaker concluded.