Speaker warns of rampant fraudulent schemes in Central Europe, fueling anti-Georgia political interference
“We have the electorate’s mandate, a democratic mandate, and how dare anyone on this earth speak on behalf of the Georgian people instead of them,” stated the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, on the Imedi LIVE TV programme.
According to him, the European Union must answer how funding is being accounted for.
“When you speak on behalf of another country in the name of its people, that is not democracy. Such a Europe existed a hundred years ago, when it wielded influence over other nations. I won’t mention what that process was called when other people were kept subjugated. This is a paternalistic attitude towards nations. Elections were held in Georgia; one million two hundred thousand citizens entrusted their vote to Georgian Dream. We have the electorate’s mandate, a democratic mandate, and how dare anyone on this earth speak to us on behalf of the Georgian people? This is, precisely, a violation of the international order.
They operate through the law of force. They claim that they are powerful enough to crush little Georgia. This is one scheme that, it turns out, Mikheil Saakashvili was also aware of. Now, let the European Union respond to us: how are these funds, which are moving around and being transferred from one place to another, being accounted for? These are elaborate fraudulent schemes at the very heart of Europe, designed to finance political processes against Georgia,” said Papuashvili.
For reference, European Union High Representative Kaja Kallas responded to the legislative amendments proposed by Georgia’s parliamentary majority, stating that she is awaiting to see when action will be taken against those implementing them. European Commissioner Marta Kos also commented on the matter, saying she cannot support a government that acts against its own citizens; “the country is drifting further away from a European future.”
On January 28, the majority leader, Irakli Kirtskhalia, announced that several legislative amendments had been prepared. Specifically, according to Kirtskhalia, changes are being made to Georgia’s Law on Grants, including the introduction of criminal liability and measures to make external lobbying punishable. Amendments have also been drafted to the Law on Political Associations of Citizens and regarding the political activity of business entities.