Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili says the European Union bureaucracy must take concrete steps to restore dialogue with Georgia. Speaking at a press briefing in the parliament, he criticized a recent European Parliament resolution, arguing that it contradicts fundamental democratic principles.
Papuashvili said the resolution disregards Georgia’s sovereignty and implies that political legitimacy is determined not by the Georgian people but by Brussels’ political bureaucracy. He described this approach as undermining democratic norms and framed it as treating relations between Georgia and the EU not as equal partnership, but as a hierarchical structure that ignores national self-determination.
He further argued that the European Parliament’s stance distorts Georgia’s internal political reality and accused it of hostile rhetoric toward the Georgian government, church, and institutions. According to him, this creates obstacles to constructive engagement and necessitates a change in approach from EU structures in order to resume meaningful dialogue.
His remarks came after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a critical resolution on Georgia, highlighting concerns over democratic backsliding, pressure on civil society and media, and restrictions on political opposition. The resolution called for the repeal of several controversial laws and warned that continued developments could conflict with the country’s obligations as a Council of Europe member.
