Zygimantas Pavinis, Vice-Speaker, Lithuanian Parliament expressed concern over what he perceived as a “Soviet Approach” by the Georgian Government in handling criticism, especially by avoiding meeting with European Union delegations who criticize its policies.
In a recent statement Zygimantas Pavilonis, Lithuanian Vice Speaker, called out the Georgian Government for allegedly avoiding meeting with critics. He observed this pattern over the last three to four years. His remarks follow the refusal of Georgian Parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili to meet with European parliamentarians, raising doubts about Georgia’s commitment towards an open dialogue with EU.
“It’s very Soviet, because I noticed this tendency 3-4 years ago. Even those who criticized Georgian government were no longer meeting. In the last three-years, I’ve been here often and they couldn’t meet. One small exception: the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia. “This is the Soviet way of doing things. If you criticize them, they don’t usually meet you anymore,” said Pavillionis.
Pavilionis noted that during his multiple visits to Georgia in the past few years, he observed a recurring lack of high-level meetings. This was especially true for those who had criticised the Georgian Government.
Pavilionis commented, “It’s very Soviet because 3-4 years ago I noticed this trend. Even those who criticised the Georgian Government there were no longer attending.”
Shalva Papuashvili, for information, noted that although Georgia values EU co-operation, it does NOT wish to allow actions that could sow “chaos” in the country. He affirmed Georgia’s commitment to “promote dialogue with all relevant parties and interested parties of European Union” but clarified that this dialogue should not disrupt the internal stability.
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