Georgian Parliament Speaker: presence of wanted ex-official in Ukrainian Gov’t, his foreign meetings, “undermine” democratic values

Georgian Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, on Tuesday raised concerns over the sheltering of Georgia’s former, wanted Prosecutor General Zurab Adeishvili by the Ukrainian Government as an advisor to the country’s Prosecutor General and his engagement in recent meetings in Brussels and Berlin, claiming such moves gave “wrong signals that undermine the spirit of international cooperation for the democratic change”. 

In his social media post, Papuashvili also highlighted the “significant role” Georgia played in supporting Ukraine during its war against Russian aggression, including providing humanitarian aid and sheltering tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. 

Despite this support, Papuashvili expressed disappointment at Ukraine’s actions, including recalling its ambassador to Tbilisi after the beginning of hostilities and requesting the departure of the Georgian Ambassador from Kyiv.

Furthermore, Papuashvili criticized the involvement of Adeishvili in diplomatic meetings with high-ranking officials in Germany and Brussels. He warned that such acceptance of criminals like Adeishvili undermines the values on which Georgia’s European aspirations stand and erodes trust in European institutions.

Papuashvili emphasized that the rule of law was not optional in the European Union and called for European politicians and bureaucrats to adhere to common values and take appropriate steps to address the sheltering of Adeishvili.

The Georgian Parliament Speaker concluded by urging an end to the hypocrisy surrounding the “acceptance of criminals” by Western countries, emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law and common values in international relations.