Shalva Papuashvili: We are witnessing Soviet methods from the European Commission toward Georgia: confrontation, escalation, pressure, coercion, instead of dialogue - We remain European, while the European Commission is behaving in an un-European manner
"We are witnessing ordinary Soviet methods from the European Commission toward Georgia: confrontation, escalation, pressure, coercion, instead of dialogue – we remain European, while the European Commission is behaving in an un-European manner," stated the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, in response to a question regarding the European Commission's enlargement report.
According to him, representatives of the Georgian government are sitting at the dialogue table with the European Union; however, EU representatives are walking around this table and choosing a confrontational path instead of dialogue.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing the European Commission's immature foreign policy, not only toward Georgia but also toward other candidate countries. Until the European Commission changes this immature policy, it is difficult to imagine any constructive steps being taken on their part. We have said many times that we are sitting at the dialogue table with the European Union and waiting for EU representatives to sit at this table, but we see that they are walking around it – choosing a confrontational path instead of dialogue. This, too, is the destruction of European values and leading Europe toward a civilizational abyss. The European Commission has declared confrontation, escalation, and not dialogue, as its main tactic toward many countries, including Georgia. This is by no means a European value. On our part, we are trying to behave in a civilized, European way, but unfortunately, from over there we see Soviet methods – which is not surprising, given that we see post-Soviet leaders in the leadership of the European Commission. Although they came out of the Soviet Union, they could not strip Soviet behavior from their conduct. It appears they brought along the methods characteristic of the Soviet Union toward smaller countries. We are now witnessing ordinary Soviet methods from the European Commission toward Georgia – confrontation, escalation, pressure, coercion, instead of dialogue. We remain European, while the European Commission is behaving in an un-European manner," Papuashvili stated.
For information, the European Commission will publish its annual enlargement report on November 4.
