The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, refused to meet with a delegation of representatives of the foreign policy commissions of eight EU countries.
The Georgian government remains committed to dialogue with the EU, but believes that the meeting request cannot be granted. According to him, some members of the delegation should not have expected a different response, given their repeated hostile statements towards Georgia. He also accused individual members of the delegation of supporting the opposition, interfering in Georgian elections and spreading misinformation about the country.
“These actions and rhetoric undermine democratic stability and the trust of Georgian society in its European partners,” – said Papuashvili.
The main goal of the delegation’s visit to Tbilisi is political bias, something that is obvious to everyone, Papuashvili noted. The actions of foreign diplomats contributed to deepening the political polarization of the radical sector of the opposition, which worsened the pre-election situation and created a feeling of tension around the elections, said the speaker of the Georgian Parliament.
“It is impossible to present Europe as a peace project and at the same time, in the name of Europe, wreak havoc in the country. “Georgian society clearly responded to foreign interference in the October 26 elections, when Georgian Dream won another landslide victory.” – Papuashvili noted.
At the same time, he expressed his willingness to continue dialogue with other representatives of the delegation “within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy and on the basis of respect for sovereignty.”
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag Michael Roth It was previously announced that a delegation of committee chairs from eight EU member states will arrive in Georgia on November 11.
“Georgia and its people hold a special place in our hearts. We are committed to supporting a free and democratic Georgia in the heart of Europe. After the fraudulent elections, we are concerned about current events. On November 11, a delegation of commission chairmen from Finland, Sweden, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Germany will arrive in Tbilisi.” – Roth clarified.
