It is better to be a candidate country on paper than a state on paper – war and economic stagnation would have simultaneously threatened Georgia if we had believed Brussels, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili told journalists, responding to statements by European Commissioners ahead of the ministerial meeting.

According to him, Georgia stands on Christian values and “if Mrs. Koss has a problem with Christian values, then let her tell us in what aspect she has this problem.”

Papuashvili also says that the European Commissioners are not on the side of dialogue, but of boycott, which fundamentally contradicts European values.

The Speaker of Parliament notes that it is time for Brussels to return to the European path.

“I think this was an exact visualization of the situation we are talking about – that, unfortunately, Brussels today is a barrier in the relations between Georgia and the European Union, its member states. We saw that the European Commissioners are not on the side of dialogue, but of boycott, which fundamentally contradicts European values. We saw that when it comes to member states, their desire is for there to be dialogue between Georgia and the European Union, its member states, which is why we have recently intensified meetings and visits in the direction of bilateral relations. It is important to have communication with member states and to talk about the necessity of dialogue, since confrontation and boycott are not the European way. Unfortunately, this non-European path has been chosen today by the Brussels bureaucracy. Therefore, it is important to have bilateral communication, dialogue with those who represent their own people, so that ultimately Brussels too becomes convinced that confrontation is not the European way and that it is time for Brussels to return to the European path – of openness to dialogue and exiting the confrontational path.

As for Mrs. Koss – she said that Georgia should return to European values, which is incomprehensible. Georgia stands on Christian values. If Commissioner Koss finds fault with Christian values in any way, then let her tell us what she finds fault with. Our country stands on Christian values and our belief is that Christian values are truly European values. So if Mrs. Koss has a problem with Christian values, then let her tell us in what aspect she has this problem.

As for candidacy on paper – she can use this false figurative expression as many times as she likes, but the answer is one: it is better to be a candidate country on paper than a state on paper. That is how it would have been if we had believed Marta Koss and other Brussels bureaucrats and gone for escalation – today we would be in the situation of Ukraine and Moldova. In Moldova there has been economic stagnation for years, and in Ukraine there has been war for years. Exactly both scenarios would have simultaneously threatened Georgia if we had believed Brussels,” Papuashvili stated.