Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, responded to the statement made by German MEP Michael Gahler regarding Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“They say not to compare us to the Soviet Union, yet confiscation and expropriation were precisely the trademarks of the communists.

So yes, this is deeply Soviet thinking, and the sooner people realize where some politicians and bureaucrats are steering the European Union, the better,” Papuashvili wrote on Facebook.

For context, MEP Michael Gahler spoke about the situation in Georgia and potential responses by EU member states during a meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. In this context, he mentioned the founder of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, stating:

“If I’m not mistaken, Bidzina Ivanishvili is a French citizen. So, if he has any assets in France, certain measures might be taken.”