Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, has accused the European Parliament of transforming the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly into “a tool of blackmail” aimed at imposing a narrow political agenda on neighboring countries.
In a statement published on Facebook, Papuashvili announced that Georgia’s permanent parliamentary delegation will no longer participate in future Euronest sessions, citing what he described as “hostile and politically biased approaches” from certain members of the European Parliament.
“It is clear that the European Parliament has turned the Euronest platform into a tool for blackmailing neighboring countries and forcibly imposing its own narrow political agenda. Taking into account these hostile and politically motivated approaches, Georgia’s parliamentary delegation will not take part in future Euronest sessions,” Papuashvili wrote.
The Speaker criticized the latest Euronest resolutions, claiming that they contained “unacceptable and outrageous” provisions for Georgian society. He claimed that some European lawmakers added sections labeling Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections as ‘falsified’ and calling the government “self-proclaimed,” while describing individuals convicted for attacking police and state institutions as “political prisoners.”
“It is categorically unacceptable when Euronest disregards the will of the Georgian population and, beyond its founding mandate, arbitrarily annuls the elections and democratic institutions of a member country according to its own views,” Papuashvili stated.
He urged the European Parliament to “abandon its narrow political agenda” and respect the rules-based international order, warning that its current “anti-democratic approaches” could lead to Euronest’s self-isolation and marginalization.
Papuashvili emphasized that Georgia has always contributed constructively to the Eastern Partnership initiative and remains open to resuming participation in Euronest if “appropriate conditions for constructive dialogue” are restored.
