Georgian Government Refuses to Meet EU Parliamentarians
The Georgian government has refused to meet with senior members of parliament from eight European countries, including Germany, France, and Poland. The visit by the European MPs was seen as an attempt to support the opposition, which is calling for an investigation into the recent elections.
The European delegation visited Georgia on November 11, just weeks after the October 26 elections, which were widely regarded as marred by serious violations. The government has denied any wrongdoing and called for international observers to be withdrawn.
In response to the visit, Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of Parliament, published a lengthy post on social media, accusing some members of the delegation of “personal hostile acts” against the Georgian government and society. He also claimed that they were engaged in political partisanship and public campaigning against the ruling party.
Other government officials, including Irakli Kobakhidze and Ilia Darchiashvili, followed Papuashvili’s lead, accusing the European MPs of interfering in the electoral campaign and violating election principles. They also claimed that Georgia was ready for a “constructive” dialogue with its partners.
The Georgian government has a history of refusing to meet with Western partners. In 2017, a German Bundestag delegation was denied meetings with government officials during their visit to Georgia.
Zygimantas Pavinis, a Lithuanian MP, described the government’s refusal to meet as “very Soviet”. He noted that the trend of denying meetings to critics of the Georgian government has been observed for several years.