European People’s Party statement shows UNM agenda diverges from interests of country - Parliament Speaker

The statement by the European People's Party on Georgia shows the agenda of the United National Movement opposition party and a part of the opposition “absolutely diverges” from the interests of the country, Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, said on Wednesday.

Papuashvili was responding to a statement by the EPP, suggested by the domestic UNM opposition, which said  “in recent years” the EPP had observed “with great concern” a trend of “democratic backsliding” in Georgia.

We saw the statement by the European People's Party, stating that this was a text prepared by the United National Movement. This text once again showed what we have been talking about - that a part of the [Georgian] opposition has been involved in the campaign to prevent Georgia from receiving the European Union membership candidate status,” the Parliament Speaker said.

Papuashvili noted with just a few days left for the European Commission and then the Council of the European Union to take a decision on Georgia’s membership bid, the “main issue” for UNM was “still” the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

This is another clear proof that in fact, the United National Movement and a part of the opposition have [an agenda] which diverges from the interests of the country and the [Georgian] people,” Papuashvili concluded.