Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili said that statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regarding Georgia concern Armenia’s relations with the European Union and do not reflect Georgia’s position.
Papuashvili made the remarks during a briefing while commenting on Pashinyan’s speech in the European Parliament.
“Mr. Pashinyan is the Prime Minister of Armenia. He was speaking from the perspective of Armenia’s interests as a representative of his country’s government. We speak about the interests of our own country,” Papuashvili said.
He claimed that the issue raised by the Armenian prime minister relates specifically to relations between Armenia and the European Union.
“This concerns Armenia–EU relations. We have our own relations with the European Union,” he stated.
Papuashvili also claimed that it was the EU that disrupted relations with Georgia.
“The European Union itself, unilaterally and without provocation, hindered Georgia–EU relations. We cannot fix what they have broken,” he said.
The Parliament Speaker added that Pashinyan’s message should be viewed in the context of Armenia’s European integration ambitions and its dialogue with Brussels.
He also noted that the Georgian government has already communicated to Brussels what steps it believes are necessary to restore proper relations between Georgia and the European Union.
“We have already told Brussels what they need to do in order to restore proper relations with Georgia,” Papuashvili said.
The comments came after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking in the European Parliament a day earlier, stated that one of the biggest obstacles on Armenia’s path toward European integration is the currently frozen dialogue between the European Union and Georgia.
Image: Shalva Papuashvili. Source: 1TV
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