Georgian Parliament Speaker says US administration’s focus on sovereignty highlights value Europe has forgotten in relations with Georgia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said that parts of the Georgian opposition continue to receive support for what he described as radical activities from certain European Union member states and Brussels.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that following the change of administration in the United States, support for radicalism is now coming primarily from Brussels.

“Today, anti-democratic forces are supported by Brussels, and violence is supported by Brussels. It is important that, through its resilience and perseverance, the Georgian people have reached a point where the new US administration repeatedly referred to sovereignty in its statement - a concept that Europeans have effectively forgotten in their relations with Georgia”, he said.

“We can hardly remember the last time we were told that mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty is among our shared values. The term is now used only alongside territorial integrity. What the European Union has forgotten in its approach to Georgia was repeatedly emphasised by the American delegation as a common value shared by our two countries”, Papuashvili concluded.

The United States Embassy in Georgia released a statement by the United States Department of State, saying that “a functional democracy requires a political opposition that engages with state institutions to represent the interests of the citizens who voted for it”.