This is exactly the sad trend that we see in the process of European integration - for the Swedish Prime Minister, LGBT marriage is somehow special, for someone it will be something else, and should the candidate countries follow the taste of the 27 countries? Do they want to introduce this procedure for integration into the European Union? - the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, told journalists.

With this, he responded to a post on social media by the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, according to which, within the framework of European integration, Ukraine should regulate same-sex partnerships and ensure full legal protection for the LGBT community.

According to Papuashvili, in light of this statement, the Swedish ambassador should clarify whether this is the criterion of the Swedish government when making decisions regarding candidate countries.

“This is precisely the sad trend that we are seeing in the process of European integration. You know that there are 27 members in the European Union. The vote of all 27 countries is decisive at any stage of European integration. We have been seeing a sad trend recently, and the Baltic countries have started it. They are not looking at the common rules, procedures or criteria for progress in the European Union, but rather every state and the political leadership of a particular country is adopting its own agenda and adapting European integration to its own taste. For some reason, LGBT marriage is special for the Swedish Prime Minister, for someone it will be something else, and should the candidate countries follow the taste of the 27 countries? Do they want to introduce this procedure for integration into the European Union? In addition to the content, there is also procedural arbitrariness, that some countries invent additional criteria that are part of their political agenda. As for the content - they have finally formed it.

After the European Commission’s letter, where they demanded the repeal of the law on “family values,” there was a statement from the Georgian Orthodox Church, which said that the EU representatives had always promised the Church and the Patriarch that there would be no demands on the path to EU integration that contradicted the traditional values on which Europe stood. After this statement, their NGOs attacked the Patriarchate, saying that no one was demanding anything, and now we hear that the Swedish Prime Minister is demanding it.

The Swedish embassy should come out, the Swedish ambassador should come out and explain whether this is the Swedish government’s criterion for making decisions regarding candidate countries. Why are they hiding the answer? How long will they have to play hide-and-seek with the Georgian people, on the one hand, by half-words, proposals, and letters, sneaking issues that society says are unacceptable, and when they are asked to answer them publicly, they are saying that no one is demanding anything. Should these European bureaucrats also have the courage to come out and say whether they are demanding or not?”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.

For information, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson published the following post on the social network yesterday:

“Today I received Ukrainian LGBTQI veterans in Sagerska. When they risk their lives on the front line and in other ways participating in the resistance, they help defend Ukraine. However, they are also a living expression of the liberal values for which Ukraine is fighting.

Today, same-sex couples cannot marry or enter into a registered partnership in Ukraine. Full legal protection of the rights of all minorities, including the LGBTQI community, is an important part of Ukraine's approach to the EU and we support it. As a strong supporter of Ukraine, Sweden will closely monitor its implementation," he wrote.