Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday said he had declined a meeting with a delegation of parliamentarians from  European Union member states, led by Lithuanian MP Žygimantas Pavilionis, citing unfriendly rhetoric to the ruling Georgian Dream party by specific members of the delegation, and their sowing of chaos in the country through their alleged backing of the radical opposition in the name of the EU.

The official further accused unspecified members of the delegation of political bias and attempts to interfere in Georgia's political landscape through their statements and actions.

"I was not surprised by the arrival of a delegation consisting of members of parliament from several EU countries, but I was really surprised by the intention of some members of the delegation to meet with the political and parliamentary leadership of Georgia, despite their personal unfriendly attitude towards the Georgian Government and the public”, - Papuashvili said.

The Speaker highlighted concerns about alleged foreign interference during the recent Georgian elections, citing the violations of the Georgian election laws.

"Some members of the delegation and other foreign politicians had constantly and purposefully violated Georgian legislation by conducting a public campaign against the ruling party of Georgia and supporting the opposition”, he claimed, adding such actions had “grossly violated the principle of non-interference, a fundamental norm of international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter”.

The message also pointed to past incidents involving alleged disinformation, such as “the campaign about the conditions of [former President] Mikheil Saakashvili's imprisonment [in Georgia], which was proven false by the European Court of Human Rights [through its 2023 ruling that rejected the former official’s transfer abroad for medical grounds]”.

Speaking about the October 26 general elections, Papuashvili stressed the delegation members’ rejection of the elections and ignoring of such a strong voice of the voters is the same path  the domestic opposition has been following for years.

He further alleged “when the Georgian public sees the rejection of democracy by European politicians, it damages the trust in the EU”.

Despite rejecting the meeting request, the Speaker acknowledged his “respect for other members of the delegation” and reaffirmed a commitment to “dialogue within the framework of fundamental principles and norms of parliamentary diplomacy, on the basis of equality and respect for sovereignty”.