Georgian Parliament Speaker optimistic as US talks target economic cooperation, not “fictional issues”

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday expressed optimism following the visit of Peter Andreoli, a representative of the US State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

“This visit focused on economic issues, which gives us grounds for optimism that a true strategic partnership between our countries will be based on the interests of both nations, rather than on some invented, fake, and false ideals that do not actually exist”, the speaker said.

He further criticised the approach of the previous US administration and certain European officials, claiming they prioritised “invented ideologies” - specifically gender identity issues - as a litmus test for partnership.

“In general, I welcome that this visit had substantive depth. It addressed real issues of bilateral relations rather than fictional ones, as was the case during the previous [US] administration - when it was as if gender identity issues were the main thing connecting the Georgian and American people, and our strategic partnership depended on whether Georgia recognises a man as a woman and a woman as a man. The previous administration had reduced the issue to this level, and unfortunately, Brussels has it at this level as well. Matters of real cooperation were set aside, and loyalty to invented ideologies was taken as a test of partnership”, he continued.

“That is why I welcome the practical, substantive approach of this visit. As you have seen, it focused on economic matters, which allows us to be optimistic that our countries’ true strategic partnership will be grounded in mutual interests rather than false, invented ideals imposed on small nations for control. We look forward to the results of this visit with hope. At the same time, we would naturally like a faster pace in establishing this strategic partnership. We are committed to this path, and the rest depends on the US administration”, Papuashvili concluded.