Georgia’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Nino Tsilosani also blamed Armenian lawmakers for their stance during the vote, claiming that they effectively went against Armenia’s official position by supporting the resolution.
The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is an inter-parliamentary forum bringing together lawmakers from the European Union and several ex-Soviet states, including Armenia and Georgia, seeking closer ties with Brussels. It held its 12th ordinary session in the Armenian capital on October 28-30.
Tsilosani argued that by supporting the resolution, Armenian lawmakers were casting doubt on the position of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian who, she said, was recently on an official visit to Georgia and held meetings with elected Georgian officials.
“By supporting such a resolution, they are showing a lack of trust in their own prime minister,” Tsilosani said. She described the resolution as “meaningless” and claimed it was aimed solely at harming Georgia.
European institutions have criticized Georgia’s government in the past, and the recent resolution adds to the growing list of statements against Tbilisi. The resolution passed by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly called Georgia’s parliamentary elections in 2024 fraudulent and accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of being self-declared authorities. It also condemned the violent suppression of peaceful protests in Tbilisi, calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners. European lawmakers warned that if these issues were not addressed, Georgia could face consequences, including the suspension of its visa-free regime with the Schengen Zone.
In anticipation of Euronest’s position, Georgia boycotted the session in Yerevan by refusing to send its parliamentary delegation to the Armenian capital. Tbilisi had previously stated that “certain members of the European Parliament were engaging in hostile rhetoric and actions, which contradicted the principles of partnership and mutual respect.” In particular, Georgia condemned the participation of some European Parliament members in opposition protests in Tbilisi.
The resolution passed by the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly addressed a wide range of regional issues, including the repression in Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko, the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Maria Karapetian, head of the Armenian delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and a member of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, offered a different account of the voting process. Karapetian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that neither pro-government nor opposition members of Armenia’s delegation voted in favor of the proposed changes related to Georgia. She explained that the Armenian delegation either abstained from voting or did not participate in the vote on Georgia-related amendments. The only exception, she said, was an amendment that concerned one of Georgia’s breakaway regions and proposed replacing the term “South Ossetia” with “Tskhinvali region,” which several Armenian lawmakers supported.
Karapetian explained that the full resolution that was eventually put to a vote included important clauses for Armenia, and Armenia’s delegation could not abstain or vote against it. These provisions, proposed by Armenia’s ruling party members, in particular, included support for the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement inked in Washington on August 8, regional unblocking based on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations, and the continuation of the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The resolution also included a call for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian territory and the addressing of the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.
Earlier, pro-government members of the Armenian delegation faced criticism from their opposition colleagues for blocking an amendment to the resolution that called on Azerbaijan to allow the safe return of Nagorno-Karabakh’s displaced Armenian population to the region.