Speaker of the Georgian Parliament responds to a statement made by Baia Pataraia, head of the non-governmental organisation [NGO] Sapari, accusing her of spreading xenophobia under the guise of pro-European rhetoric.

"Of course, this is xenophobia, and of course, this is xenophobia funded and encouraged by the European Union Embassy. No "Russia is waging war" justifies xenophobia. Many countries have waged wars and many are still waging them today, where people die, but this does not give anyone the right to single out ethnicities and turn them into objects of hatred.

This is at odds with the Georgian worldview. It should also be against general European principles - at least those of the last 80 years. If we as a nation had chosen hatred and bitterness in response to our suffering, we wouldn’t have survived as a people for millennia.

The NGOs are disconnected from Georgian society, are promoting hatred and division… We all remember the xenophobic campaign led by these same NGOs in 2022. Back then, a woman of Slavic appearance - later found to have lived in Georgia for years was stoned on Chavchavadze Avenue", - wrote Shalva Papuashvili.

He concluded by reiterating his accusation that current NGO-led narratives aim to sow hostility, claiming that the EU Embassy would once again avoid holding its funded partners accountable.