Papuashvili Accuses West of 'Revolution Attempts' in Annual Parliament Address
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili delivered a politically charged annual address on Tuesday, accusing Western governments, NGOs, and civil society groups of orchestrating five alleged attempts to overthrow the ruling Georgian Dream party since 2020.
Departing from a standard legislative review, Papuashvili framed the current Parliament as the guardian of national sovereignty during a period marked by what he called "revolutionary plots" backed by foreign actors.
The first alleged attempt followed the 2020 elections, with Papuashvili blaming local watchdog ISFED and USAID for "spreading false results" that fueled opposition protests. The second, he said, came during the 2021 EU-mediated Charles Michel agreement, when opposition parties boycotted Parliament and media allegedly "manipulated minority rights" during violent street demonstrations.
The third, dubbed the "sour cream revolution," referred to former President Mikheil Saakashvili's covert return to Georgia in 2021 hidden inside a sour cream truck. Papuashvili claimed the operation was organized by Ukrainian intelligence and backed by Western officials to provoke unrest during local elections. He accused EU diplomats and Baltic lawmakers of pressuring the government over Saakashvili's imprisonment and hunger strike.
The fourth attempt followed the EU's 2022 refusal to grant Georgia candidate status. Papuashvili said this encouraged radical groups and NGOs to demand regime change. He claimed CSOs pushed for a new government with veto power for unelected activists.
The fifth attempt, he alleged, occurred in 2023 during protests against the "foreign agents" law. He accused Western donors and diplomats of fueling unrest, saying a foreign ambassador was first to label the bill as "Russian." Though the bill was later reintroduced, Papuashvili claimed the government defused tensions and exposed foreign influence.
He concluded that Georgian Dream faced "unprecedented foreign interference" ahead of the 2024 elections and accused the West of imposing polarization on Georgia. "Violence walks the streets wrapped in an EU flag," he said, praising Parliament for resisting pressure and defending national interests.
