“Recently, there has been a significant and deliberate surge in statements from radical, anti-Georgian political forces regarding matters of national importance. These statements serve to undermine our country’s sovereignty for the benefit of other states,” declared Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, during a press briefing at the legislative body.
According to the Speaker, the public witnessed yet another example of such rhetoric yesterday from the radical Opposition Alliance.
Papuashvili asserted that this has once again proven the Georgian government and the Georgian people entirely correct in accusing the radical opposition of betraying state interests and branding them as agents of foreign influence.
“We saw how Gigi Tsereteli, Giga Bokeria, and Zurab Japaridze spoke about the United States’ increased interest in our region, and how they attempted to convince the population that Georgia’s objective should not be protecting its own national interests, but rather serving the interests of another country, in this case, the United States.
By doing so, they have once again confirmed that the Georgian government and the Georgian people are absolutely justified in accusing them of betraying state interests and labelling them as agents of foreign influence,” Shalva Papuashvili said.
He maintained that everyone must clearly understand that Georgia is an independent and sovereign state, and that the right to determine its future belongs solely to the Georgian people.
“Our country’s developmental path, the choices of its government, and its strategic decisions are shaped through democratic processes. This is a fundamental principle that cannot be replaced by political speculation or external pressure.
Unfortunately, we are increasingly seeing attempts to push domestic political competition beyond the boundaries of democratic struggle, turning it into a campaign directed against Georgia’s international image and state interests. This is evident in the way radical political groups, built upon the ideology of the United National Movement, are spreading messages that serve an external political agenda rather than the interests of our people and country, all to achieve their own partisan goals,” the Speaker stated.
Papuashvili noted that the trend of portraying Georgia as a Russian or Iranian ally and foothold in the region is particularly alarming and utterly detached from reality.
“Russia occupies 20% of Georgia’s territories, and Georgia has severed diplomatic relations with Russia, which in itself speaks volumes about the nature of our relationship. As for Iran, a key nation in our region, relations between Georgia and Iran do not come anywhere near, either politically or economically, the level of engagement that other states in the region maintain with it. Consequently, spreading such narratives is solely aimed at creating false impressions of Georgia and damaging its international reputation.
It is within this exact context that we see attempts to discredit the dynamic and productive strategic cooperation between Georgia and China. Whereas any state partnership should be evaluated by a single criterion: to what extent it serves Georgia’s national interests,” Papuashvili argued.
The Speaker reiterated that it is categorically unacceptable for local political groups to act as conduits for foreign powers’ interests within Georgia.
“The identity and origin of these powers do not matter. Nations united into states specifically to separate their own interests from the interests of others. It is impermissible for anyone to attempt to damage Georgia’s interests, even if done in the name of the interests of our friend, the United States of America.
Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of behaviour we are seeing from the radical opposition, whose statements frequently suggest that Georgia’s national interests take a back seat to the political priorities of the external forces they seek to protect.
These actors are now openly suggesting that Georgia exists to serve as a template for other states, even when this contradicts the wishes of the country and its people.
Naturally, these political forces are well aware that talking about ties between Georgia and Russia, or Georgia and Iran, is absurd. Therefore, it becomes clear that their primary objective is to damage the Georgia-China strategic partnership, to the benefit of those forces whose political agenda their activities serve,” he said.
The Speaker of Parliament concluded by urging the public to critically evaluate any information aimed at generating sentiments that run counter to Georgia’s national interests.
“In light of all the above, I urge the public to critically evaluate any information aimed at generating sentiments that run counter to Georgia’s national interests. A healthy partnership between nations is based not on one country serving the interests of another, but on seeking a convergence of mutual national interests. This is the very essence of sovereignty.
History teaches us that the gravest consequences for a country arise when internal political confrontation is placed above state interests. The experience of the past century serves as a stark reminder of how dangerous it is to weaken national unity and to allow foreign agendas the opportunity to influence a country’s internal affairs,” Papuashvili concluded.
