Georgian parliamentary speaker questions EU’s role as ‘global geopolitical actor’

The speaker of Georgia’s parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, has questioned the European Union’s ability to act as a global geopolitical power, saying it no longer functions as a guarantor of international order.

In a Facebook post, Papuashvili argued that recent international developments involving the U.S. had exposed the EU’s declining influence on the world stage.

He said the events in Venezuela, which he claimed lasted only a few minutes, demonstrated that the bloc had lost its capacity to shape or uphold the global order and was unlikely to regain that role.

“It has become clear that when it suits its interests, Brussels will not hesitate to benefit from the destruction of world order and to use it for its own advantage,” he wrote.

Papuashvili also criticised the EU’s approach towards Georgia, accusing Brussels of acting in ways that he said violated international law.

He did not specify which actions he was referring to.

• Papuashvili slams EU pressure over Georgia's visa waiver scheme

Visa waiver pressure

His remarks come amid strained relations between the Georgian government and the European Union. Georgia has formally stated its ambition to join the bloc, ties have been deteriorated in recent years over concerns, related to democratic reforms, the rule of law and foreign policy orientation.

Papuashvili said Georgia’s strategic priorities remained unchanged. He added the government’s two main objectives continued to focus on restoring the country’s territorial integrity and improving the well-being of its population.

“In the struggle for territorial integrity, there is no place for political sentimentality or illusions,” he said. “A state and a government that do not recognise Georgia’s territorial integrity can never be friends of the Georgian people.”

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Georgia EU Europe Shalva Papuashvili Brussels