Žygimantas Pavilionis, Vice-Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament, expressed concerns over what he perceives as a "Soviet approach" by the Georgian government in handling criticism, particularly by avoiding meetings with European Union delegations that critique its policies.

During a recent statement, Lithuanian Vice-Speaker Žygimantas Pavilionis called out the Georgian government for allegedly avoiding meetings with critics, a pattern he observed over the past three to four years. His remarks come after Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili declined to meet with members of European parliaments, raising questions about Georgia's commitment to open dialogue with the EU.

"It is very Soviet because I noticed this trend 3-4 years ago, even those who criticized the Georgian government there were no longer meeting. In the last three years, I have come here often, they could not meet. With one small exception, with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. If they criticize you, they usually don't meet you anymore, this is the Soviet approach," said Pavillionis.

Pavilionis highlighted that on multiple visits to Georgia over the last few years, he noticed a recurring absence of high-level meetings, particularly for those who voiced criticisms of the Georgian government.

“It is very Soviet because I noticed this trend 3-4 years ago, even those who criticized the Georgian government there were no longer meeting,” Pavilionis remarked.

For information, Shalva Papuashvili noted that while Georgia values EU cooperation, it does not wish to enable actions that might sow “chaos in the country.” He affirmed Georgia's commitment to “promoting dialogue with all relevant and interested parties of the European Union” but clarified that such dialogue should not disrupt internal stability.