Parliament Speaker accuses MEP Juknevičienė of hostility towards Georgia amid EU criticism

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, has accused Lithuanian MEP Rasa Juknevičienė of hostility towards Georgia, amid criticism from some European politicians and institutions directed at the Georgian government.

Speaking to journalists Thursday, Papuashvili claimed Juknevičienė was among the leading figures in what he described as a campaign against Georgia and the Georgian people.

He alleged that several members of the European Parliament were attempting to suppress free speech in Georgia and interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

“We are fighting for the European Union to return to its original values, because we have nothing in common with such a European Union,” Papuashvili said.

The parliament speaker described Juknevičienė as a political ally of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili and accused her of seeking to defend him from what he called a “fair punishment”.

Papuashvili also criticised Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, alleging that the Polish government had supported a media platform aimed at promoting anti-Georgian narratives and criticism of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Papuashvili further claimed the current direction of the European Union increasingly resembles Soviet-era political pressure from Moscow.

“Step by step, Soviet Moscow is being replaced by Union Brussels,” he said.