Ruling Party leader Kirtskhalia accuses ‘Eurocrats’ of undermining European values, insulting Georgia’s sovereignty

The leader of Georgia’s parliamentary majority and chair of the Georgian Dream faction, Irakli Kirtskhalia on Wednesday accused European officials of “undermining European values” and “insulting Georgia’s sovereignty.”

Kirtskhalia’s comments came in response to the recent visit of Finland’s Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Elina Valtonen, who attended a peaceful demonstration in central Tbilisi during her official visit.

“I address the Eurocrats: how long will you continue to dig under the very European values you claim to represent? How long will you continue this destruction? How long will you continue to insult our society and our sovereign country?” the MP said from the parliamentary rostrum.

He accused Valtonen of arriving in Tbilisi with a “specific political mission,” alleging that she would “report back” on her activities to European Commission President Kaja Kallas. “The OSCE Chairperson came to Georgia near the end of her mandate with a very specific mission. I’m sure she will successfully report the results of her visit and her walk on Rustaveli Avenue to her commissioner, Kallas,” he said.

Kirtskhalia mocked Valtonen’s stated concerns over Georgia’s “restrictive laws,” questioning whether she referred to the controversial “transparency law” or the recently introduced legislation restricting “LGBT propaganda.” “Is she worried about laws that exist in every democratic and sovereign country-laws that serve national security and sovereignty?” he asked.

He went on to accuse European institutions of double standards: “How long will this hypocrisy continue? How long will you keep insisting that what is deemed essential for democracy in your own countries is somehow unacceptable for us?”

Referring to recent anti-government demonstrations, Kirtskhalia described them as “acts of extremism” and claimed that “Georgian society has already given an appropriate response to such destructive attempts.”

“On behalf of our nation and our majority, I say this clearly: despite your countless malicious efforts, the people of Georgia will never renounce their dignity, identity, sovereignty, or freedom - values they have defended for centuries,” Kirkchalia concluded.