Speaker Papuashvili: EU Delegation statement effectively abolishes our statehood and reduces us to a primitive tribal system

“I want everyone to seriously grasp what the EU Delegation told us today: that it wishes to have direct relations with the people, not with the state,” Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili declared.

Papuashvili has condemned this as an utterly shameful stance.

“Today I saw the statement by the EU Delegation announcing that they are allocating EUR 38 million in funding to assist the people directly rather than the state. I want everyone to seriously grasp what the EU Delegation told us today: it wishes to have direct relations with the people, not with the state. By doing so, the EU Delegation has effectively told us that it is abolishing Georgia’s statehood and declaring us a primitive tribal system, where no state exists, no representation exists, and they ought to contact someone directly.

This is an utterly disgraceful position, which, even in comparison to Russia’s policy towards Georgia, is shameful in that it abolishes Georgia’s statehood. In effect, this proclaims that the European Union views Georgia as a primitive tribal system, one where its delegation is forced to deal with individual tribes. It is a disgrace when EU foreign policy descends to these medieval values and completely casts aside everything that implies respect for another country’s sovereignty, respect for the state, non-interference in internal affairs, and indeed everything that so many countries strove for during the Second World War to establish the international order.

This single statement by the EU Delegation has crossed out everything: it has abolished our statehood, declared us a primitive tribal system, and next they will probably appoint an Exarch to govern Georgia and make decisions. It is a disgrace, and the European Union must wash away this shame,” Papuashvili noted.

The EU Delegation to Georgia released a statement earlier today noting that “due to democratic backsliding in Georgia, the EU no longer provides funding to Georgian authorities, but continues to deliver assistance to the people of Georgia, allocating EUR 38 million in funding in 2026.”