Chairman of Parliament Accuses U.S. of Hypocrisy Over 'Defeating Putinism' Conference
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
The international conference 'Defeating Putinism' took place in Tbilisi, with notable absence from members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who cited the presence of 'radical forces' as their reason for not participating.
The Parliament Chairman Shalva Papuashvili leveled accusations against certain conference attendees from abroad, alleging that they have a history of "disseminating false information about Georgia, such as claims about sanctions evasion."
Papuashvili referenced the ongoing legal proceedings against the former U.S. president as part of his argument and reiterated his accusation of American organizations practicing 'double standards'.
"Since these organizers are American organizations - today, in America, there is a legal process against the former president based on the allegation that he spread disinformation about the alleged election fraud. The US organizations, namely the McCain and Bush Institutes, along with the Georgian organization, are the conference organizers. This conference includes speakers from European Georgia, who have been accused of spreading disinformation about the 2020 elections, claiming they were rigged, and who still refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of those elections.
Therefore, these organizations are practicing double standards. On one hand, there is a legal process in their own country against the former president for allegedly spreading election conspiracy theories, and on the other hand, they provide a platform in Georgia to the very same radical forces that propagate such conspiracy theories about Georgian elections," said Papuashvili.
The Chairman accused the U.S. of a hypocritical approach to democracy. He pointed out that while the U.S. considers spreading disinformation about its own elections a criminal offense, it funds the spotlight for those who, according to Papuashvili, are 'disseminating' false information about Georgian elections.
"There exists a double standard for democracy - one standard that appears to be applicable in the USA and another that they believe should be imposed in Georgia. On one hand, if they deem spreading disinformation about U.S. elections to be a potential criminal offense, then in Georgia, those who disseminate false information about Georgian elections should not only face prosecution but also find support through funding from American taxpayers. This represents a hypocritical approach to democracy," stated Papuashvili.
