Parliament Speaker calls for “well-deserved” NATO, EU membership from west instead of “undue criticism”
Shalva Papuashvili said “for over 15 years now, the ball has been on the Western side, [in] both EU and NATO courts”. Photo: Parliament press office
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Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Tuesday urged the country’s Western partners to help Tbilisi overcome its “security predicament” and get its “well-deserved” membership in the European Union and NATO, instead of offering “undue criticism” on its alleged strengthening of ties with the Kremlin on the backdrop of the latter’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The official’s social media post came following remarks by the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at the Global Security Forum in Bratislava on Tuesday, where he alleged Ukraine’s “will and determination” to join NATO, along with “other reasons”, had led to its ongoing conflict with Russia.
The PM’s comments led to criticism by domestic opposition groups and some foreign officials, with Papuashvili responding to them by claiming they had offered “largely mistaken or deliberately distorted interpretations” of Garibashvili’s remarks.
I believe Georgia has the right to have a say when it comes to regional and international security, and the PM’s words should be understood properly”, Papuashvili said, adding Tbilisi had the right to “question the duplicity of some of our friends’ and critics’ attitudes, because many times now, Georgia has been subjected to unfair, almost hypocritical treatment”.
He said Georgia’s independence and security had been jeopardised first by “Russian-incited separatism” since the country regaining its independence in the early 1990s, and then by the outright Russian invasion in 2008. The Parliament official added the war had been followed by installation of illegal barriers by Russian-controlled occupation forces, kidnapping of Georgian citizens, and creeping annexation of Georgian territories.
Ever since, Georgia practised strategic patience, as implied by our Western friends’ advice. We did our utmost to be resilient, but also to be security providers and help strengthen international security”, Papuashvili said, and noted under Garibashvili’s leadership the country had contributed the largest per capita military personnel for NATO peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan.
Georgian PM’s comments on NATO enlargement, which he said to be one of the pretext for Russia to invade Ukraine, caused different and largely mistaken or deliberately distorted interpretations. I believe Georgia has the right to have a say when it comes to regional and… pic.twitter.com/NagsJHrMgy
— Shalva Papuashvili ???????? (@shpapuashvili) May 30, 2023
Papuashvili also said the West remained “unfazed” in imposing a de-facto arms embargo on Georgia immediately after its 2008 war with Russia and declaring a “reset” of relations with Moscow, despite Tbilisi’s “precarious existence under the foreign occupation and daily experience of threats and harassment”.
Western partners also increased foreign trade with Moscow to “unprecedented levels” since its invasion of Georgia, placing many Western economies under Russian “energy diktat”, he added.
Many Western countries, to this day, are afraid of calling Russian actions in the invaded Georgian territories their proper name – occupation”, the Parliament Speaker added.
He alleged only after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year the situation had changed “dramatically”, and even though the Georgian Government's policy had remained “steadfastly pro-Western”, it was “inexplicably, criticised for being pro-Russian”.
Papuashvili claimed all Tbilisi did was to continue its “responsible policy of strategic patience” towards Russia, which he said was being “scrupulously practised for many years now” and implied not imposing sanctions on Russia and not responding to the latter’s resumption of flights to Georgia earlier this month.
The official noted Georgians perceived “such inconsistent and groundless criticism by our Western partners negatively”, considering the absence of an “international backlash” to Russia’s aggression against Georgia in 2008 and of “any security guarantees” from the West.
Despite Georgia’s best efforts to get into NATO and the EU, we never get the deserved reciprocal steps from the West. Georgia was even left without the [EU] candidate status last year, even if we were clear forerunners among the Associated Trio”, Papuashvili said in reference to the group that also involves Moldova and Ukraine.
He added “for over 15 years now, the ball [has been] on the Western side, [in] both EU and NATO courts”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said both banning and now resuming flights with Georgia had been “unilateral” decisions of the Russian Government and Georgia had neither influence nor “any kind of leverage” over the matter.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday said just a few months after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, the previous Georgian Government had asked Russia for direct flights with the country and the former President Mikheil Saakashvili had lifted a visa regime with Russia in 2012.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday said the Government would lead the country to peace and continue to fulfil its “direct duty and responsibility” to prioritise the “salvation” of the country, protection and safety of the citizens.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said Javier Colomina, the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, during his visit to Georgia, “once again emphasised” that “no one” was urging the country to impose bilateral sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday said Georgia and Ukraine had become targets of Russian aggression over the years because of their desire to “make our own decisions about our future”.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Thursday said Tbilisi had done “everything” to obtain the European Union membership candidate status and the country “deserved” it.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said “all this dirty campaign” conducted against Georgia to damage the image of the country ended with the “fair” ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, which rejected the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s request to be transferred to Poland for treatment.