Published: July 19, 2025 4:24 pm
Author: RT
Georgia’s Shalva Papuashvili has accused Brussels of meddling in the nation’s elections and adopting Soviet-style tactics
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused the EU of interfering in his counry’s domestic affairs and imposing false political choices, comparing the bloc’s actions to Soviet-style tactics.
The comments follow the European Commission’s warning this week that Georgia’s EU integration could be suspended unless the government returns to what Brussels calls a democratic path by the end of summer. The EU also threatened to revoke visa-free travel for Georgian citizens if the authorities fail to meet key conditions, including repealing the ‘foreign agents’ law and strengthening LGBTQ+ rights.
“We see direct interference in the Georgian elections,” Papuashvili said on Friday, as quoted by local media. “It seems that some of the political elite [in Brussels] have taken some skills from the Soviet Union.”
Georgia – once part of the Soviet Union – applied for EU membership in March 2022, shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. It was granted candidate status in December 2023 but has since suspended accession talks, citing Brussels’ increasingly coercive tone. The government, however, insists that it remains committed to eventual EU membership.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which secured a strong majority in last October’s vote, has repeatedly accused Western powers of meddling under the guise of promoting democracy.
Officials in Tbilisi have drawn parallels to the 2014 Maidan uprising in Ukraine and said similar tactics are being used to destabilize Georgia for refusing to adopt a confrontational stance against Russia in the Ukraine conflict. Moscow, which has denied any involvement in Georgia’s internal affairs, has also drawn a parallel between the events in Georgia and the 2014 coup in Ukraine.
READ MORE: EU financing ‘extremism’ – applicant state
Following Georgian Dream’s victory, a coalition of pro-Western parties alleged fraud and launched protests to force the government’s resignation. The EU and US voiced support for the opposition, which the Georgian leadership denounced as foreign interference.
Papuashvili also criticized the EU’s earlier decision to revoke visa privileges for diplomatic and service passport holders, calling it a breach of international law and the 2010 visa agreement. Georgia has enjoyed visa-free travel to the bloc since 2017.
