Papuashvili Blasts Swedish MP Over Support for Protests
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, October 27, 2025
Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has condemned Swedish MP Erik Ottoson for a recent video message supporting "anti-government" demonstrations in Georgia, accusing him of interfering in the country's internal affairs. Ottoson, chair of the Swedish Parliament's EU Affairs Committee, stated, "One year ago, on October 26, the Georgian people were robbed of democracy and their path to Europe."
The video, which included joint statements from the chairpersons of the EU Affairs and European Affairs Committees of Slovakia, Poland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Austria, Estonia, and Finland, as well as Lithuania's Deputy Foreign Minister Sigitas Mitkus and Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, reaffirmed support for Georgia's pro-European protests. Ottoson said, "We wish to reaffirm our unwavering support for the Georgian people's aspirations for democracy, freedom, and a future in Europe. We consider the daily protests on Rustaveli Avenue a beacon of hope for Georgia's future, and we stand by your side."
Papuashvili responded on Facebook, accusing Ottoson of repeating his call from last year to overthrow the Georgian government using a Maidan-style scenario. "The fact that this Swedish deputy dares to speak about Georgia again is because neither he, nor the Swedish government, nor the Swedish embassy has apologized for his call last year to overthrow the government by implementing the Maidan scenario," Papuashvili wrote. He added that Ottoson's "current video address has the same purpose as his call for Maidan last year."
He framed Ottoson's remarks as an attempt to influence Georgia's domestic politics and emphasized that previous calls to stage a Maidan-style change had not been addressed by Swedish authorities. Papuashvili's comments underline the sensitivity in Tbilisi regarding foreign involvement in domestic political matters, particularly from European partners.
