Georgian Parliamentary Majority Leader Says EU Has “Trampled on the Values It Once Stood For”

Georgia’s parliamentary majority leader and chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream faction, Irakli Kirtskhalia, has sharply criticised the European Union, accusing it of abandoning the values on which it was built.

“The most important and truly regrettable thing is that they have trampled on all the values they once stood for. In Brussels and in their own countries, we are already seeing, quite literally, Soviet-style governance in its clearest forms,” Kirtskhalia said during an appearance on Rustavi 2’s Night Courier programme.

Kirtskhalia said what he described as attempts by the EU to “call white black” carried no weight with Georgia’s ruling party.

He argued that such an approach was damaging the EU’s own standing, economy and reputation, as well as the principles it has traditionally promoted to partner countries.

“This brazen attempt to call white black means nothing to us. They are damaging their own ratings, undermining their own economies and reputation, and eroding the very values they once stood for and wanted other countries to share,” Kirtskhalia said.

At the same time, he stressed that the Georgian government remained open to cooperation with the European Union, provided the relationship was based on what he described as dignity and mutual respect.

“We have always said this openly and consistently from international platforms to meetings at home: we are ready for partnership and cooperation, but it must be on a dignified basis,” Kirtskhalia said.