Georgia’s ruling party official: Azerbaijan’s suspension of European Parliament cooperation not unexpected

Levan Machavariani, the first deputy chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, said on Friday that Azerbaijan’s decision to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament was “hardly surprising”, citing what he described as a pattern of biased behaviour by the European institution.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Machavariani noted that Georgia was uniquely positioned to understand such a decision due to its own recent experiences.

“I was not surprised, given that we understand very well the European Parliament’s unjust approach. I would like to remind our citizens that this is the very institution that adopts meaningless resolutions, calling for sanctions against our honorary chair and even against our country”, he said.

He also criticised the European Parliament’s stance on imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili, noting that the body has referred to Saakashvili as a political prisoner and called for his release.

“Considering all this, there is nothing surprising. I can imagine how unfair their attitude must be toward Azerbaijan. Most likely, they were left with no other choice due to this unfair treatment”, Machavariani concluded.