Papuashvili Compares European Parliament to Russia Over Georgia Resolutions
By Messenger Staff
Friday, June 26, 2026
Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on June 25 criticized resolutions recently adopted by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, saying both had violated Georgian sovereignty.
The European Parliament passed its resolution on June 17, calling for targeted sanctions against Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and other senior figures and reiterating its non-recognition of the legitimacy of Georgia's parliament and authorities. PACE followed on June 24 with a resolution stating that conditions for "genuinely democratic elections" do not currently exist in the country. Both texts addressed Georgia's democratic backsliding.
Papuashvili focused primarily on the EU Parliament document, drafted by Lithuanian MEP Rasa Jukneviciene, saying it had "stated that the right to determine the legitimacy of Georgia's government belongs not to the Georgian people, but to the political bureaucracy in Brussels."
He drew a parallel with Russian policy. "While Russia denies Georgia's sovereignty over one-fifth of its territory, the European Parliament refuses to recognize Georgia's sovereignty over its entire territory," he said, adding that the body had "effectively equated itself with Russia's occupation policy."
Papuashvili also took issue with the resolution's treatment of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which referenced it in the context of Russian religious influence operations. He called this "the first open attack" of its kind and said it set a "dangerous precedent," arguing that criticism of both the state and the Church simultaneously constituted an attack on Georgian statehood itself.
He called on EU institutions to end what he described as "hostile rhetoric" and "disinformation" against the Georgian Dream government, recognize Georgia's sovereignty, and resume dialogue.
Papuashvili also accused the European Parliament of applying international law selectively. "It is hypocrisy," he said, "when, on the one hand, the European Parliament condemns the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, while on the other hand it attempts to decide the question of the legitimacy of Georgia's government instead of the Georgian people."
Speaking to journalists, he said the European Parliament and PACE had become "no longer fundamentally different from each other," describing their resolutions as "practically copied texts."
