Georgian speaker flags major faults in European Parliament as Baku, Tbilisi boycott EuroNest

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, has criticised the European Parliament for what he described as “improper behaviour” over the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly session scheduled in Yerevan from October 28 to 30.

Speaking to Georgian media, Papuashvili noted that the absence of Azerbaijan and Georgia from the session raises serious questions about the European Parliament’s approach, Caliber.Az reports.

“The very fact that the EuroNest session is held in the South Caucasus, yet Azerbaijan and Georgia are not participating, shows that there is something amiss in the European Parliament’s behaviour,” he said.

EuroNest serves as a platform for dialogue and cooperation between the European Parliament and the Eastern Partnership countries, discussing a wide range of political, economic, and social issues. Papuashvili pointed out that only the host nation, Armenia, and Ukraine are represented at the session, which he said is indicative of the European Parliament acting incorrectly.

“The session is taking place in our region, yet two key regional countries are absent. This, in itself, demonstrates that their conduct is improper,” he added.

He said that post-Soviet and post-communist tendencies remain evident in the European Parliament.

“The EuroNest session is being held in the South Caucasus, yet neither Azerbaijan nor Georgia is taking part. This demonstrates serious issues in the behaviour of the European Parliament. We will not take part in this farce. We will not legitimise the hostile rhetoric that some MEPs, particularly those in the EuroNest leadership, direct at the Georgian people and authorities."

Papuashvili believes that, ultimately, EuroNest is isolating itself from the Eastern Partnership and trying to shape regional policy according to its own political preferences.

Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly will not take part in the body’s 12th plenary session, due to be held in Yerevan at the end of this month, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation, Tahir Mirkishili, has announced.

Speaking to local media, Mirkishili said the decision stemmed from the European Parliament’s “biased and contradictory” stance towards Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Documents and statements issued by the European Parliament, which make up half of Euronest’s activity, contradict Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

According to Mirkishili, these statements also fail to support the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, instead serving the interests of forces that want to prolong hostility in the region.

Mirkishili recalled that the Milli Majlis (Parliament) had repeatedly protested against such positions, adding that the European Parliament’s “unconstructive statement” following the Washington peace talks between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in August had “once again undermined the Azerbaijani delegation’s faith in the usefulness of cooperation within Euronest.”

Moreover, Georgia has officially declined to take part in the 12th plenary session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.

Levan Makhashvili, Chair of the European Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, explained the decision in an open letter to the Euronest leadership.

“We are increasingly concerned by the conduct of certain Members of the European Parliament involved in the work of the Euronest PA, as well as the European Parliament as a whole, whose hostile rhetoric and actions towards Georgia contradict the principles of partnership and mutual respect that this platform is meant to uphold."

By Aghakazim Guliyev