Georgian Parliament Speaker: Georgia will never follow path of Ukraine and Moldova, which implies EU membership through territorial concessions and abolition of statehood

Georgia will never follow the path of Ukraine or Moldova if it means sacrificing territory or state sovereignty for membership in the European Union, said on Wednesday Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

Papuashvili referred to recent remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that Ukraine may need to make territorial concessions in order to advance toward EU membership.

He further referred to statements by Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who stated that the most optimal path for Moldova’s accession to the EU would be through integration with Romania.

Papuashvili noted that both cases implied the surrender of sovereignty in exchange for EU membership, stressing that the Ukrainian and Moldovan models of European integration are not Georgia’s path.

“In Merz’s case, the implication is that if Ukraine wants membership, it must give up jurisdiction and sovereignty over its territories. As for Moldova, its president says that if Moldova wants EU membership, it must not only give up sovereignty but abolish the state itself”, the speaker said.

“When Ukraine and Moldova are presented to us as examples, I want to tell everyone in the European Union, in Brussels, and their satellites in Georgia that the Ukrainian and Moldovan path to European integration is not the Georgian path. Georgia will never stand on the path of Ukraine and Moldova if it means joining the European Union by giving up territories or abolishing the state”, he continued.

Papuashvili added that making EU membership an end in itself could result in sacrificing territorial and state sovereignty, stressing that EU membership is not Georgia’s ultimate goal if it requires giving up sovereignty or the right to determine its own policies.