Georgian Parliament Speaker: any European bureaucrat claiming Georgia lags behind Ukraine and Moldova is “mocking Georgian People”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday accused the European Union and Brussels-based institutions of engaging in what he described as “anti-Georgian rhetoric”, calling the situation deeply regrettable.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that attacks were frequently directed at the Georgian people and their right to choose their own Government, claiming that Brussels had directly interfered in Georgia’s internal political processes with the aim of changing the country’s Government from the outside.

“We see the anti-Georgian rhetoric of the European Union and Brussels-based institutions, which is very regrettable. We often hear attacks on the Georgian people, on their right to choose their own Government, and we have seen direct interference by Brussels to change the Government in Georgia from the outside, both before the parliamentary elections, when the European Union Ambassador was involved in the election campaign in violation of international law, and in supporting the October 4 coup attempt”, the Speaker said.

“This is a mockery of the Georgian people when they talk about how Ukraine and Moldova are ahead of Georgia in some objective way. Of course, they are ahead when it comes to embracing Brussels bureaucracy. In that, we cannot compete. They embrace it because they carry out every task assigned by unelected bureaucrats. But in all other parameters - economic development and democratic institutions - we are ahead”, he continued.

He emphasised that prior to the war in Ukraine, Moldova had shown stronger economic growth indicators than Georgia, but said that since the war began, Moldova’s growth has dropped to zero. The Speaker also accused Brussels of directly interfering in Moldova’s elections, recalling that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Chișinău ahead of the vote and promised €1.8 billion in funding - a move he said raises questions about voter bribery.

He further noted that two political parties were removed from Moldova’s elections just days before the vote without any reaction from EU officials or ambassadors, further pointing out that both Moldova and Ukraine have established full control over the media, and he referenced corruption-related cases in both countries.

“Therefore, every European bureaucrat who claims that Georgia lags behind Ukraine and Moldova in any objective parameter is simply mocking the Georgian people”, Papuashvili concluded.