Foreign lobbyists who claim that their hearts ache for Georgia silent as Georgians mourn Patriarch Ilia II, says Georgian Parliament Speaker

Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday delivered a stinging critique of foreign lobbyists and domestic protesters, asserting that recent events have proven there is no valid political orientation for the country other than a “pro-Georgian” one.

Papuashvili argued that any other affiliation - be it pro-European, pro-Western, or pro-Russian - is fundamentally “anti-Georgian” if it does not prioritise national interests above all else.

The speaker stressed that during the days of mourning in Georgia over the passing of the Patriarch Ilia II, not a single statement was made by those foreign lobbyists who claim that their hearts ache for Georgia.

“We have not heard a single word from Mr. [Joe] Wilson and other members of the Helsinki Commission, who, if you ask them, spend their days and nights thinking about Georgia. This also proves that all this is a farce, what we see from some foreign politicians. This is ordinary, purchased lobbyism that has no emotional connection to Georgia or the Georgian people. Perhaps they did not even hear what happened in Georgia, or they heard, but did not even understand what happened in Georgia”, the speaker said.

“We have also seen various reports presented in Europe, where there was an attack on the Georgian people in this time of sorrow. This is what we mean when we talk about a civilisational abyss. They are dragging European civilisation toward a place where a political agenda stands higher than human values”, he continued.

Papuashvili thanked the ambassadors who were present at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, both during the days of mourning and on the day of the funeral of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II.

“On the other hand, we have not seen any European leader who, when something happens in Georgia, suddenly come out and make comments, and in such a time of grief, they could not find words, time or emotion, because they do not understand this emotion that we have towards our Church, the Patriarch and the true values ​​on which Georgia stands”, he added.

The speaker also addressed the ongoing protests, claiming the character of the demonstrators was revealed during the mourning period. He accused the protesters of continuing to “insult the Church” and “belittle the Patriarch” even during a time of national tragedy.

“In these days, we saw a spiritually elevated Georgian nation and a spiritually fallen group of protesters. That was the real picture and the contrast”, he concluded.