Shalva Papuashvili: We hope that the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will not fall for the attempts by certain political groups to use them as a tool – this would undermine the Assembly itself as a platform for dialogue
We hope that the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will not fall for the attempts by certain political groups to use them as a tool – this was stated by the Chairman of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, in response to the opposition's appeal regarding the possible suspension of the mandate of Georgia’s parliamentary delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
According to him, if such a decision is made by this political group, it will undermine the Assembly itself as a platform for dialogue.
“For a long time, our opposition has turned into pawns, opposing their own people for political purposes. What is most problematic is that these are not their political goals; these are the political goals of their external handlers, whom they are serving, and they are mere puppets. Therefore, these letters are not written in their rooms, they receive instructions and send them as if to express party positions. Also, what we see is a sad trend where international formats are being used for party purposes. In the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, we see a risk that the Assembly will be turned into a partisan weapon. This is not the first time. The European People’s Party, which supports the regime in Georgia that brought torture, business racketeering, and media shutdowns, should be remembered. You remember the empty chair reserved for Saakashvili at the European People’s Party conference. Of course, that was a disgraceful act. We see these attempts. We hope that the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will not fall for the attempts to use them as a tool by certain political groups. If this political group is able to make such a decision, first and foremost, it will damage the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, undermining it as a platform for dialogue and once again showing all its members and participants that it can be turned into a simple party instrument and weapon by certain political groups,” said Shalva Papuashvili.
