“First and foremost, the interests of the Georgian people must be protected in Georgia. Such phrasing and attitude towards his own country from Nika Gvaramia demonstrate that this individual is nothing more than a willing vassal, offering himself up to foreign powers to serve their interests,” stated the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, in response to a journalist’s question.

The journalist had asked Papuashvili: “Criticism is frequently voiced regarding Georgia-China relations and our strategic partnership. We have also seen an article commissioned by Nika Gvaramia concerning relations with the United States, which claims that American interests are not protected in Georgia and that Washington should not normalise relations. What do such statements and articles signal to you?”

Papuashvili maintained that, above all, Georgia must act in accordance with the interests of its own people.

“What kind of attitude is this toward one’s own country, judging Georgia based on whose interests it does or does not serve? First and foremost, Georgia must act in the interests of the Georgian people, and that is exactly what the Georgian Dream government is doing. If anyone wants a different approach, they would have to bring the United National Movement to power, and it would serve the interests of other nations rather than the Georgian people.

As long as Georgian Dream is in the government of Georgia, the interests of the Georgian people will be pursued in this country. This is the very starting point for finding common ground between sovereign nations. This is how we view it, and it aligns with the signals we are receiving from the new U.S. administration on how alliances are formed: every country, first and foremost, declares that its own national interest comes first, and then two countries look for common ground based on those mutual national interests. This is exactly what Georgia offers every nation in its relations, rather than subordination, or asking what others want from Georgia and then offering up their own country and its interests like a menu.

What suits the radical opposition is permanent tension. They attempted this by trying to drag us into the war, and by introducing constant tension through any issue possible. There is not a single topic they will not try to exploit to create friction. When we speak of the radical opposition, let us not forget that, at the end of the day, these representatives have no real agency; they are merely puppets in someone else’s hands, pulled by strings from abroad. The main objective is a change of government in Georgia, to bring in vassals who will unconditionally carry out the orders of others,” Shalva Papuashvili stated.