The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, on Friday accused the Baltic states of “direct involvement in efforts to undermine Georgia’s government”, further straining relations between Tbilisi and its European partners.
Speaking to journalists, Papuashvili claimed that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – former Soviet republics now members of the European Union – were allegedly supporting Georgian opposition groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as part of an alleged campaign to destabilize the country.
“We see that they have given a platform to the Georgian opposition and also to non-governmental organizations, including Estonian NGOs and Transparency International Georgia,” he said, alleging foreign interference in Georgia’s domestic affairs.
Papuashvili also suggested that the United States had altered its stance on “foreign intervention” under the new administration, ceasing funding for such activities. He cited an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump, claiming it acknowledged that previous funding had been used to destabilize governments.
“The funds allocated for destabilization have been withdrawn,” he said, arguing that organizations such as USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) had previously engaged in regime-change operations but that foreign governments were now assuming a more direct role.
The Speaker also criticized recent sanctions linked to Georgian opposition figures and NGOs, claiming they were influenced by Estonia. He accused Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, of endorsing a sanctions list without fully understanding its contents.
“The Estonian Foreign Minister has no knowledge of the names and identities of Georgian police officers,” Papuashvili asserted. “This list was compiled by the Estonian NGO Transparency International under the direction of their government.”
He also expressed outrage over reports that Georgian Olympic weightlifting champion Lasha Talakhadze, who is now the ruling Georgian Dream party MP, had been included in the sanctions, calling it an unjustifiable decision.
Papuashvili defended Georgia’s decision not to join Western sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine, arguing that doing so would have had severe economic repercussions. He estimated that imposing sanctions would have resulted in an 18% economic downturn, a scenario he described as worse than the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
