On 1 October 2021, one day before the local self-government elections, our security services arrested Mikheil Saakashvili, who had snuck into Georgia with the help of a senior official from Ukraine’s military intelligence, writes the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament on the social network X.

“The purpose of his covert entry into the country in clear: to foster unrest by appearing on Election Day and overturn the lost elections.

Until then, Saakashvili, who had been sentenced to six years for the Girgvliani murder and the Gelashvili assault cases:

• Moved freely across the European Union and the United States;
• Held high-ranking positions within the Ukrainian government and, from there, directed radical political groups in Georgia;
• Conducted meetings with representatives of various EU institutions and political groups.

After our security services foiled the plan to foster unrest in the country, of which Saakashvili"s covert entry was a part, pressure on the authorities to release Saakashvili from his sentence began, crossing all moral and legal boundaries:

• The then Public Defender produced a false report suggesting that the state of Saakashvili"s health was so severe that he should be released from prison.
• This false report was supported by the opposition and nongovernmental organizations.
• The most disgraceful campaign of recent years – “Free Misha” – was launched, featuring various public figures.
• A demarche was made to the Ministry of Justice on behalf of the European Union, with the underlying message that Saakashvili"s imprisonment was a problem, and it would be better to get rid of this issue.
• We witnessed European Parliament resolutions drafted by American lobbyists, fake American experts, the Polish doctor’s “sock scandal” – in short, scenes and scenarios straight out of Hollywood films about secret agents.

This false campaign, involving European and American officials, the Public Defender, the opposition, and nongovernmental organizations, lasted for nearly two years. During this period, not a day passed without an attack on Georgia from abroad, by the very same individuals who, even now, never miss a chance to assault the Georgian people and hurl mud at their state.

It was the Strasbourg Court that finally put an end to it all, exposing both the Georgian opposition and foreign friends and enemies for their falsehoods, dismantling the fabricated narrative built over months.

And then, as if nothing had happened, Saakashvili suddenly recovered from his dementia, and foreign politicians and diplomats changed the subject. No “sorry”, no “how could this happen?” Nothing at all. They damaged us, tarnished the reputation of the entire country, and simply moved on.

Apparently, such friendship exists as well.

Therefore, on 26 October, to Europe, only with peace, dignity, and prosperity!”, - writes Shalva Papuashvili.