The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, on Thursday criticised the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), accusing it of behaving in a “Soviet-style” manner and “undermining the sovereignty of Georgia.”
Speaking ahead of a scheduled discussion on Georgia in the Assembly later today, Papuashvili said the recent PACE resolution on Georgia represented a “betrayal of the organisation’s founding principles.”
“What we saw in the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was a Soviet-style act, when you do not respect the sovereignty of other peoples. By doing so, PACE betrayed and deviated from its own principles,” Papuashvili claimed.
PACE adopted a resolution on January 29, calling for new parliamentary elections in Georgia and the release of “political prisoners” arrested during protests sparked by the Georgian Dream Government’s decision late last year to delay the country’s EU integration until 2028 . It also limited the voting rights of the Georgian Dream delegation and placed the country under a “probationary period” until April 2025.
In response, members of the ruling Georgian Dream party withdrew from the Assembly on the same day, citing the decision as interference in Georgia’s internal affairs.
Papuashvili accused several European countries of increasingly adopting what he described as Soviet-era practices. “This Soviet-style behaviour has spread like a virus to various European countries,” he said. “They are increasingly resembling the behaviour style of the Soviet Union.”
He particularly criticised politicians from former Soviet republics and EU member states for allegedly attempting to dictate political outcomes in Georgia.
“In light of commemorations of April 9 [marking Soviet crackdown on peaceful demonstrators demanding independence in Georgia in 1989], we did not fight and want independence so that Estonia, or perhaps the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, or some French and Swedish MPs could dictate to the Georgian people who to choose,” he added.
PACE is expected to revisit the issue of Georgia during today’s session. The Assembly’s earlier resolution had raised concerns about democratic backsliding in the country and urged authorities to ensure free and fair elections.
The Georgian government has rejected the resolution, maintaining that its democratic processes were legitimate and accusing foreign actors of undue influence.
