“We have repeatedly stated that the Georgian government acts in the interests of the Georgian people and does not pay attention to who says what or how anyone evaluates it,” said the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, in response to a statement by the official representative of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova. According to Zakharova, Russia would have to include Georgia on its list of “unfriendly countries” if the country joins the European Union.

According to Papuashvili, he is not familiar with the exact content of Zakharova’s statement or what she specifically meant, but emphasized that the government acts in the interests of the Georgian people.

“Throughout our 35 years of independence, we have learned that those who follow others’ assessments have not brought good results for Georgia. Since Georgian Dream has been in power, precisely because the government does not listen to or follow others’ statements and listens only to the Georgian people and their interests, we have had 14 years of uninterrupted peace and a period of notable economic growth. Over several years, we have achieved rapid economic development and are among the global leaders.

As for trade, as I understand, Russia trades very actively with the European Union and has the desire to do so. Alcoholic beverages, wine, and so on were mentioned. Let me remind you that if Russia has unfriendly relations with anyone, it is the Baltic states. And I remind you that Lithuania was once a leader, surpassing Georgia in wine exports and, accordingly, imports into Russia. So I do not know exactly what the statement implies, but we act in the interests of our people, and whatever is beneficial for them will be our course,” Papuashvili said.

For reference, Maria Zakharova stated that Georgia’s accession to the European Union and joining sanctions against Russia would deal a “serious blow” to its tourism industry and cause it to lose preferential trade relations with Russia and CIS countries. She also noted that Russia would be forced to include Georgia on the list of unfriendly countries if it joins the EU.