Parliament Speaker claims “some forces not seeking peace” in country amid protests

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday claimed there were unspecified “forces that do not want peace, tranquillity, solidarity” or “politics to be conducted within the law and constitutional framework” in the country.

In his remarks over ongoing public protests in Georgia against the Government’s decision to halt European Union accession talks until 2028, Papuashvili said “anyone who is contributing to riots” was an “enemy of our country and the Georgian people”.

Enough time has passed since the protests began. We have heard protests, dissatisfaction, complaints and reproaches. All this time, step by step, methodically, we have been trying to respond to everything. We are trying to explain that peaceful protests and demonstrations are protected in our country, and attacks on police officers and mass violence will definitely be prevented”, the Speaker said.

“We are moving forward on the path of European integration, a necessary and fundamental part of which are free, fair elections. Exactly the kind that were held on October 26. In these elections, the Georgian Dream [party] secured an absolute majority of votes, receiving 54 percent of the total votes”, he continued.

The Speaker also commented on a visit of a group of members of the European Parliament to the country amid the protests by claiming the purpose of the visit was to ”pour fuel on a dying fire”.

On this backdrop, we see yet another and hopefully final battle, the trip of foreign politicians who once again visited Rustaveli Avenue [in Tbilisi] to incite crowds. Their goal is to pour fuel on a dying fire, to cling to a lost agenda, and to turn the tables”, Papuashvili claimed.

The Speaker added “everyone will have to accept and recognise the choice of the Georgian people” in the elections, as it was “based on the absolute truth”.