Frederic Petit, Vice-President of the European Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly, responded to the decision by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, not to meet with a delegation of parliamentarians from eight EU countries currently visiting Tbilisi. Petit called Papuashvili's decision "sad."
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"The EU is about conflict management. In Europe we disagree, but we work together. It is very surprising to me that a member of parliament would say, 'I will not meet you because you do not agree with me.' For me, this is a complete rejection of what democracy is. The only place when you have no conflict is the cemetery, and I am in no hurry for that. Here, we are Germans and French. Europe is a way to negotiate with people you disagree with," Petit said at a press conference held at the presidential administration.
The chairpersons of the foreign relations committees of the parliaments of Germany, Finland, Sweden, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland are currently in Georgia. They expressed concerns regarding the October 26 parliamentary elections. As Michael Roth, a member of the Bundestag, stated, until the election issues are clarified, the European Union cannot recognize it as legitimate.
The delegation was hosted by the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, while the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, declined to attend the meeting. Additionally, neither the heads of the parliamentary committees or representatives of Georgian Dream will meet with the delegation.
Papuashvili cited the "unfriendly attitude" of some members of the delegation, including Zhigimantas Pavilionis, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Lithuanian Seimas, as the reason for his decision. He accused the delegation members of "sowing discord in the name of Europe," interfering in the elections, and disregarding the country's constitution.
