Georgia is not anyone’s vassal, including the EU’s, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told reporters, criticizing what he described as a patronizing tone from the EU and other diplomats.

Papuashvili said Georgia will not accept lectures on democracy or the rule of law from countries it outperforms in some areas. He urged the EU ambassador and others to respect Georgia’s laws and sovereignty.

He also accused the EU of funding a person who, he claimed, has called for political assassination and mocked the death of Levan Gachechiladze, a prominent Georgian politician. Papuashvili criticized EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski’s silence on the issue, saying it raises serious questions.

“Rather than hiding, the ambassador should answer whether the EU will keep funding someone who promotes hate,” he said.