Georgia to skip Euronest Parliamentary Assembly sessions

Georgia will skip the upcoming sessions of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly due to unfair treatment, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Saturday.

"The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly adopted several resolutions at its last plenary session in which the standing delegation of the Parliament of Georgia did not participate. As per tradition, these documents should have included the visions for the further development of the Eastern Partnership initiative as well as for the promotion of dialogue and partnership among its member states," he posted on X.

"However, some Members of the European Parliament, known for their hostile, unfair, and politically biased attitudes toward Georgia, added the provisions to the texts of the resolutions that are utterly unacceptable and outrageous for the Georgian society. Among them, one of the resolutions refers to the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 as “rigged,” and describes the government elected by the people as “self-proclaimed.” It also labels as “political prisoners” those individuals who attacked police officers and state institutions and who have been convicted by the court, thereby completely disregarding the very essence of the rule of law."

The 12th ordinary session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly was held in Yerevan on 28-30 October.

"It is evident that the European Parliament has turned the Euronest platform into an instrument of blackmail against and a means of forcibly imposing its own narrow political agenda on its neighbouring countries. It is categorically unacceptable when the Euronest neglects the will of the Georgian people and, going beyond its founding mandate, seeks to annul elections and democratic institutions of its member country," Papuashvili said.

"Therefore, considering the hostile and narrow political approaches of these forces of the European Parliament, Georgia’s standing parliamentary delegation will not take part in next sessions of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.  We once again call on the European Parliament to abandon its narrow political agenda and to respect the rules-based international order. Its current anti-democratic approach is a direct way towards self-isolation and marginalisation of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. Georgia has always contributed constructively, productively and meaningfully to the Eastern Partnership initiative. Should the European Parliament create appropriate conditions for constructive dialogue, the standing delegation of the Parliament of Georgia will be ready to re-engage in this parliamentary platform of the Eastern Partnership," reads the statement.