Parliament speaker: Georgia’s only path is its own, not pro- or anti-aligned labels

Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, has said that Georgia’s “only path is Georgian” and warned against framing political choices in terms of pro- or anti-European, pro-Russian, pro-Chinese, or anti-Iranian labels. He on Friday argued such terminology was designed to distract from the country’s independent trajectory.

“Georgia has no choice between Russia, Europe, Iran, China, or any other direction. Our choice is nation-building and protecting the interests of our people. We must defend these interests both with friends and with adversaries,” Papuashvili said.

He criticised reliance on foreign powers, citing the United States and Europe.

 “Even the US has confrontational issues with NATO after decades of defending Europe, and now some European countries fail to support, and in some cases even undermine, the guarantees they once received. We must protect our interests with Russia and Europe alike, and trust no one blindly. Those who trusted, including Europeans, are now embroiled in war. If European leaders had fulfilled their commitments, the war in Ukraine would not have occurred.”

Papuashvili also noted domestic challenges.

 “Attempts to overthrow the government and involve Georgia in escalation with Russia have led the Georgian people to lose trust in the EU and Brussels. Our goal is not to be ‘pro’ anything but to advance our national interests. Unfortunately, a small group of protesters has developed a pseudo-religious fundamentalism, seeing Brussels press rooms as religious altars. This is the sad reality in some segments of our society.”