GD Parliament Speaker Papuashvili Accuses Foreign Partners of Political Meddling
During the press briefing on March 7, Georgian Dream parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili launched a series of accusations against international organizations, foreign diplomats and Western governments for alleged interference in the country’s political and judicial affairs. Papuashvili called the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) a “fraudulent organization”, accused the Baltic states of trying to replace the Georgian government, and criticized diplomats from Belgium, Lithuania, and the UK for allegedly “undermining the country’s sovereignty.” Papuashvili also criticized the proposed MEGOBARI Act, a bipartisan U.S. Senate bill that would impose sanctions on GD government officials for alleged human rights abuses and undermining democracy.
Papuashvili Calling ISFED “Fraudulent Organization”
During a press briefing, Papuashvili described ISFED as a “fraudulent organization” and alleged that it manipulated the results of the 2020 elections with the aim of misleading the Georgian public and attempting to “overthrow” the government.
He also claimed that in 2024, ISFED “hid” the results of its parallel vote count. “Together with the USAID leadership, both ISFED and the American and Georgian employees of USAID hid the real results and lied to us,” he said.
Papuashvili stated that, according to what he described as “fairly reliable” information, ISFED’s decision not to publish the results was “dictated to them by the donor.” He claimed that this confirmed ISFED as a “fraudulent organization” that had already lost American funding and was now being funded by Brussels. He reiterated the Georgian Dream party’s stance that foreign funding for ISFED was aimed at destabilizing Georgia’s political landscape.
ISFED has long argued that the repeated claims by GD are vastly inaccurate. Particularly regarding the PVT results from 2024 elections, ISFED clarified that they matched those of the Central Election Commission (CEC) due to the nature of observed falsification, which occurred during the voting process, rather than during the tabulation.
GD Parliament Speaker Accuses Baltic States of Seeking Change of Government
GD Speaker has accused the Baltic states of attempting to change the country’s government, claiming they have taken over the role previously played by Western organizations.
“What used to be done through [the hands of USAID, NED] or other such organizations, which were more experienced in regime change, doing it more covertly, indirectly” is now being implemented by various governments, especially the Baltic states, Papuashvili claimed, alleging that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were working to replace Georgia’s “legitimate government.”
He criticized the Baltic states for “providing a platform to the Georgian opposition and CSOs”, which it appears “are Estonian NGOs now.” He said that the recent sanctions by the Baltic states coincided with the visits there of the Georgian opposition and CSOs.
“Estonian NGOs are speaking to us today on behalf of the Georgian people,” he said, referring allegedly to the fact that some Georgian NGOs had to register abroad, including Estonia, after the adoption of the Foreign Agents’ law by the GD.
Papuashvili also claimed that opposition figures and NGOs were directly involved in compiling a list of individuals for potential sanctions. “The sanctions were imposed at a time when the opposition and NGOs—Estonians, as it turned out—were in those capitals,” adding that “The frivolous Estonian Foreign Minister has no idea about the names and surnames of Georgian police officers,” he said. “This list was compiled by the “Estonian NGO” Transparency-International on behalf of their government.”
He further lashed out at the Baltic states, claiming they view Georgia as a “weapon and instrument against Russia.” According to Papuashvili, “the aim of these three states and their government is clear – it’s to change the legitimate government.” They “have their own fears regarding Russia,” claimed Papuashvili, but instead of confronting them directly, they were trying to “use other countries” to divert Moscow’s attention.
Criticism of Belgian and Lithuanian Positions on Judiciary
Asked about the Belgian Foreign Ministry’s statement calling on the GD government to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, Papuashvili dismissed such concerns, linking Belgium’s position to previous European Parliament resolutions.
The position of the Belgian government representatives is clear from the resolution of the European Parliament, Papuashvili said, “where its representatives supported the release of criminals from penitentiary,” referring to former President Mikheil Saakashvili. “This shows their attitude towards the rule of law in other countries,” stated Papuashvili.
He went on to suggest that some foreign authorities do not respect democratic principles in Georgia. “It seems that some authorities do not care about the rule of law, democracy or elections for the Georgian people… Apparently, what is good for them and Jupiter, while we are probably bulls [“What is permissible for Jupiter is not permissible for a bull”] who do not have the right to law and order,” he said.
Papuashvili also criticised foreign diplomats for attending court hearings, referring to the presence of the Lithuanian ambassador at the trial of Mzia Amaghlobeli at the Batumi City Court on 6 March and stressing that he represented the country that had sanctioned several Georgian judges. He described the presence of ambassadors as an attempt to put pressure on the judiciary, calling foreign envoys “government inspectors”. He added that he doubted they understood the proceedings because they “were not lawyers” and did not understand the language.
“This is proof that inspectors sit there and watch, and if judges do not behave as they want or say publicly what they want, punishment follows,” he said, linking diplomatic involvement to the imposition of sanctions. This is a blatant violation of the international order and a “disrespect” for Georgian sovereignty, he said.
British Ambassador Accused of Political Bias
Papuashvili accused the UK ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, of involvement in an alleged campaign against the ruling GD party during the pre-election period.
Referring more than once to Ambassador Ward as “UK’s Labor Party Ambassador” Papuashvili added: “We see his attitude after the elections too. This attitude shows one thing: there is support for violence, support for disinformation, and propaganda that is spread, and that’s exactly how I assess his presence in Kvareli, in an organization, which openly supports the acts of foreign countries against Georgian citizens.” [On March 4, Euroclub Kvareli, a local civil society organization dedicated to education, development, and promoting Western values, hosted the UK Ambassador.]
He described the British ambassador’s visit as evidence of “encouraging, abetting, and financing” those who support foreign actions against Georgian citizens, adding that such actions ultimately harm Georgia “both as a state and as a society.” Papuashvili also linked such diplomatic actions to what he called an effort to erode “Georgian identity” and promote “statelessness.” He accused foreign actors of “financing and supporting those who act against the national interests of the Georgian people.”
Papuashvili Criticizes MEGOBARI Act, Calls It “Ungrateful”
Asked by a journalist about the party’s expectations if the bill is approved, Papuashvili said: “I would like to say one thing to both the Congress and the Senate: the fact is that everything we have said so far has come true. Everything we criticized the previous US administration for has turned out to be right”.
He suggested that instead of passing such legislation, the U.S. Congress should investigate the activities of USAID. “They didn’t believe me, right? Then Trump came, and we saw what they got in the end. So if they had believed us, everything we said would have been proven right,” he said.
Papuashvili also took issue with the title of the bill, the MEGOBARI Act – which translates as “friend” in Georgian – calling its title “cynical” and claimed it’s an act “full with steps directed against the Georgian people”.
He then implied that the US should be grateful to Georgia for sending a substantial contingent to NATO operations in Afghanistan. He once again criticized the “three post-Soviet republics” [Baltic countries], claiming that they sent 40-50 soldiers to Afghanistan, who “were sitting in the field headquarters”, whereas Georgia sent up 1,000. “This is how the Georgian Dream government stood up for the U.S. That is why this so-called friendly act should actually be called an ungrateful act – because it is ungrateful towards the Georgian people and the Georgian government.”
Also Read:
- 07/03/2025 – MEGOBARI Act Reportedly to Gain Momentum in U.S. Senate Next Week
- 06/03/2025 – Irakli Kobakhidze: ISFED Works on Behalf of Forces that Don’t Have Good Intentions Toward Georgia
- 03/03/2025 – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Expand Sanctions on Georgian Officials
- 27/02/2025 – GD PM Kobakhidze Slams German Ambassador, Defends Ivanishvili Amid Possible UK Sanctions
- 24/02/2025 – U.K. Ambassador Refutes GD Talks of “Second Front”
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