Shalva Papuashvili accused the West of using European integration as a “carrot” to draw Georgia into the conflict.
The changed rhetoric of the European bureaucracy and European leaders towards Russia reflects the logic of pragmatic interests that Tbilisi has already “experienced for itself,” said Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament.
Recently, there have been calls in several European capitals for the resumption of direct dialogue between the EU and Russia. The leaders of Italy, France and Germany noted the need to discuss security and stabilization issues in the region, including through diplomatic contacts with Moscow. The Kremlin reacted positively to such signals, describing them as an “evolution of the EU’s position.”
According to Papuashvili, Georgia experienced the consequences of the August 2008 conflict and disappointment in international support from its own experience, and after the end of hostilities, it watched as the partners “reset” relations based on their own goals.
“Everyone looks at their interests, their goals,” Papuashvili said.
The world is cynical today: the head of the Georgian Parliament on the EU’s calls for dialogue with Russia
