TBILISI, October 2 – Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili marked 14 years of Georgian Dream rule by arguing that the country has gradually regained sovereignty and reduced foreign influence since the party came to power in 2012.
Papuashvili said the nine years before Georgian Dream’s election victory were not only a period of what he called Mikheil Saakashvili’s dictatorship, but also a time when Georgia functioned as a proxy state serving other countries’ interests.
Georgian Dream defeated Saakashvili’s United National Movement in the parliamentary election of October 1, 2012.
Papuashvili said that since then, the state had gradually recovered the sovereignty Georgia won when it left the Soviet Union 35 years ago. He said the past 14 years had brought what he described as real independence and freedom.
According to the parliament speaker, the change meant having a government focused on what it considers the national interests of its own population rather than being dependent on the interests of other countries.
Papuashvili also said the process took time because some foreign governments and organizations had become accustomed to intervening in Georgian affairs.
He recalled that after becoming parliament speaker, some foreign ambassadors sought to discuss details of parliamentary and legislative work that, in his view, were outside the proper role of diplomats.
He said Georgian Dream had strengthened the country’s freedom by limiting outside interference and establishing red lines in relations with foreign actors.
When asked why Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili had not publicly marked the October 1 anniversary this year, unlike on previous occasions, Papuashvili rejected the idea there is any political significance to the party founder’s absence, saying Ivanishvili remained in constant contact with the political team.
