Georgian speaker: "Any violence on October 4 will also be EU’s responsibility"

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has accused the European Commission of showing solidarity with planned violence by the opposition party United National Movement and warned that the state will not allow Georgia to be dragged back into the turmoil of the 1990s.

“It has been publicly announced that the ‘National Movement’ is planning violence; it is obvious that for October 4, they are preparing violent actions. We also saw that the spokesperson of the European Commission expressed solidarity with the violence planned by the ‘National Movement,’ which is a stunning scandal,” Papuashvili told journalists, according to Georgian media reports cited by Caliber.Az.

He claimed that by making such statements, the spokesperson of the European Commission shared responsibility for the violence announced by the opposition.

“Everyone, both inside the country and abroad, must understand: for any violence that occurs on October 4 at the hands of the ‘National Movement,’ its organisers, or participants in the rally, responsibility will also lie with the European Commission, represented by its spokesperson. As well as with the EU Embassy, which in no way distanced itself from this. Therefore, I say once again to everyone: if even a single act of violence occurs, if even a stone is thrown — let alone Molotov cocktails and other pyrotechnics, which, it seems, are considered a cornerstone of European values — those responsible will be those who express solidarity with the perpetrators of violence,” Papuashvili declared.

The speaker underlined that Georgian state institutions are carefully monitoring developments and are prepared to act within the law.

“We have seen different schemes — including how educational institutions are being used to prepare internal terrorists. All of this is under observation. All information is known. As soon as an act of violence occurs and there are legal grounds for criminal liability, the state will, of course, take measures,” he stated.

Papuashvili stressed that the authorities will not allow external actors to destabilise the country.

“We will not allow anyone — including any Brussels bureaucrat — to drag Georgia back into the 1990s. If someone treats our country so superficially and indifferently and thinks they can use Georgia for their political intrigues, that person, regardless of their position or country, is deeply mistaken,” the speaker emphasised.

By Tamilla Hasanova