Speaker Papuashvili: Georgia’s parliamentary delegation to withdraw from future Euronest sessions

Georgia’s permanent parliamentary delegation will no longer participate in future sessions of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, citing “hostile and narrow political approaches” from certain members of the European Parliament, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili announced on Saturday.

“It is well known to the public that the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, in which Georgia’s permanent delegation did not participate, has adopted several resolutions. Traditionally, such documents should reflect views on the further development of the Eastern Partnership initiative and promote dialogue and cooperation among its member states”, he said.

Papuashvili said that some members of the European Parliament, known for their “hostile, unfair, and politically biased attitudes toward Georgia”, inserted passages into the resolutions that are “completely unacceptable and outrageous” for the Georgian public.

“One of the resolutions refers to Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections as ‘rigged’ and to the legitimately elected Government as ‘self-declared’. It also describes individuals convicted by Georgian courts for attacking police officers and state institutions as ‘political prisoners’, thereby completely disregarding the principles of the rule of law”, he said.

Papuashvili noted the European Parliament had turned the Euronest platform into a “tool of blackmail” used to impose its own narrow political agenda on neighbouring countries.

“It is categorically unacceptable when Euronest disregards the will of the Georgian people and, acting beyond its founding mandate, effectively nullifies the elections and democratic institutions of a member country. Therefore, considering the hostile and politically motivated stance of these forces within the European Parliament, Georgia’s permanent parliamentary delegation will not participate in future Euronest sessions”, he said.

Papuashvili added that Georgia remained committed to the principles of constructive cooperation, saying “we once again call on the European Parliament to abandon its narrow political agenda and respect the rules-based international order. Its current anti-democratic approach leads directly to Euronest’s self-isolation and marginalisation”.

The Speaker highlighted that Georgia had always made a “constructive and meaningful” contribution to the Eastern Partnership initiative and that the parliamentary delegation would be ready to re-engage in the Euronest platform if conditions for “constructive dialogue” were restored.