Parliament Speaker: “our only trajectory is country’s peace, prosperity”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday claimed the Government of the ruling Georgian Dream party had “only one trajectory of peace and prosperity” in the country, in response to recent criticism by Tom Sullivan, the Counselor of the United States Department of State.

Commenting on Sullivan's “concern” over the politics of the GD Administration, Papuashvili said “we have acted not based on the advice and interests of others, but in the interests of the Georgian people”.

The chief Georgian legislator added it was “irresponsible” to “advise” the country “to engage in escalation” with Russia, which occupied 20 percent of the Georgian territories.

“Behind closed doors, we have repeatedly told everyone that demanding the escalation from the country, the territories of which are occupied by Russia and where its regular army is stationed just 500 metres from the main highway, is irresponsible. Therefore, we have acted not on others advice and interests but in the interests of the Georgian people”, he noted.

The official stressed that “urging Georgia towards the escalation through sanctions [against Russia], sending combatants, supplying weapons [to Ukraine] or closing an airspace [for Russian aircraft]” would lead the country to the “spiral of escalation”, thus “resulting in an economic collapse” and “most likely, direct military conflict with Russia”.