Georgian Parliament Speaker: cynical to claim no one asked for second front, then criticise Georgia for not escalating with Russia

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday accused the European Union of displaying considerable cynicism by denying in the morning that Georgia was asked to open a “second front” against Russia, only to express disappointment by afternoon that Georgia did not escalate.

In a social media message, Papuashvili criticised what he described as contradictory messaging from European officials regarding Georgia’s stance on Russia.

“It takes considerable cynicism to declare in the morning that no one asked Georgia to open a second front, and then in the afternoon publicly express disappointment that Georgia did not escalate with Russia”, he said.

The speaker also quoted a fragment from a statement by the EU ambassador.

“From the EU ambassador’s statement: ‘We decided to suspend all direct flights with Russia, restricted the entry of Russian citizens into the European Union, and reduced trade with Russia at a heavy cost to our own economies. Against this backdrop, Georgia is widely opening its doors to Russian tourists and businesses, and trade between the two countries is increasing’”, he noted.

Papuashvili questioned whether it was still unclear that Georgia was being encouraged to impose sanctions on Russia and escalate tensions.

“Once again: the only way for Georgia to restrict all of this would be to impose bilateral sanctions on Russia. Are there still questions about whether we were being asked to impose sanctions on Russia and escalate? Are there still questions that this would have come at a heavy cost to our economy and to every citizen? Does anyone still doubt that, in our situation, any escalation carries the potential for war - a war in which we would have had to fight alone?”, Papuashvili said.

“And finally, are there still questions about the real basis of Brussels’ constant criticism toward Georgia? Had the Georgian government followed those demands four years ago, today we would be a nation in the ruins of war, economically devastated and mourning - a country about which many lofty statements would now be made from different parts of the world”, he continued.

He emphasised that national security was not abstract for Georgia, it was a daily reality shaped by occupation lines and foreign military presence near the capital.

“For Georgia, national security is not an abstract concept. It is a daily, tangible reality - a country divided by an occupation line, with the military forces of a foreign state stationed just dozens of kilometres from its capital. Under these conditions, the obligation of the Georgian government is not to fulfil someone else’s political agenda, but to ensure the survival of its own state, maintain stability, and protect its population”, Papuashvili noted.

He concluded that Brussels’ stance reflected ignorance of this reality, and Georgia would not allow a repeat of historical tragedies like February 25.

“The criticism coming from Brussels indicates an ignorance of this reality. The Georgian state cannot build its future on the basis of someone else’s geopolitical calculations. We will not allow a new February 25”, he noted.