The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia delivered his speech at the International Conference in Prague.

“These turbulent times, which seem to be here to stay, are the right moment for the EU to fulfil the role for which it was created: sustainable regional peace, security, and prosperity. The EU can revitalise its “soft power”, by standing on the side of truth, morality and the values that the EU has long embodied.

I believe three things are critical: First, EU must co-operate with other democracies as a renowned and universal beacon of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The Union has a world to share – democratic values that its founding fathers incorporated in its foundations; benefits that its citizens enjoy and that makes the EU a magnetic attraction around the world; and an area of liberty and peace. Other partner democracies, like Georgia, has a world to share too – a dedicated optimist on guard for liberty and peace – the identity of Europe; cultural heritage enriching Europe; and the best Georgian experience of state building and democratisation.

Second, EU’s strength should come from trustworthy, evidence-based narrative. You cannot fight disinformation with disinformation. The Union has always been associated with genuine progressive values and near-scientific model for development and prosperity. Sadly, recently we noticed a certain twist with an unfortunate tendency of placing perceptions above hard facts. In current tsunami of disinformation, EU’s real strength is to advance narratives that are based on facts rather than perceptions. Fact-based discourse strengthens democracy, perception-based narratives skew it. Our institutions of democratic governance, which are modelled on EU, should champion the fact-based decision-making if we want to maintain public trust.

And third, the promise of EU membership should be coupled with a consistent approach by its institutions, devoid of arbitrary and partisan interests. Membership promise serves as a powerful tool for promoting democracy, strengthening the rule of law and the respect for fundamental rights in Georgia. Currently, we have been quite successfully implementing EU’s 12 recommendations for the candidate country status. These recommendations, in essence, guide democratic reforms in key areas. What we need now is a clear, verifiable, and institutionalised process for our membership path which has less arbitrary, less partisan political considerations.

I believe in Europe. So does my freedom-loving nation. It is high time for Europe to believe in itself and in us too”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.