Resolution tabled by the United National Movement UNM of Georgia

The International Democrat Union regrets Georgia’s failure to obtain the European Union membership candidate status. As noted in the European Commission’s opinion, Georgia is facing several challenges that hinder the country’s European integration process. “De-oligarchization” is among top priorities set by the European Commission to be addressed in Georgia.

The oligarchic rule of the last 10 years that has resulted in confusion of powers, erosion of state institutions, political persecution against the opposition and critical media, and an ultimate state capture is thwarting the Georgian people’s strong and genuine aspirations for freedom and a European future.

The arrest and ill-treatment of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, and the arrest of prominent critical media manager Nika Gvaramia is a clear demonstration of the disregard of Georgia’s commitment to upholding the democratic standards by the Georgian government.

It is disillusioning to see that Georgia, once an Eastern Partnership frontrunner in democratic reforms, now fails to meet the criteria for further advancement on its European path. The trend is particularly worrying in the context of current geopolitical circumstances and the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, while Georgian authorities chose to sideline the country from its democratic agenda and rather embarked on an authoritarian and anti-Western path.

Therefore, International Democrat Union calls on

• the Georgian government to respect the European aspirations of the Georgian people and take immediate actions towards implementing the democratic reforms as recommended by the European Commission;
• the Georgian authorities to take immediate measures to provide ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili with adequate medical treatment and transfer him for full medical recovery abroad;
• the Georgian authorities to release Nika Gvaramia, whose arrest and conviction is unjust and unsubstantiated;
• the European Union and democratic partners to impose personal sanctions on the informal ruler of Georgia, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, and his associates, as well as judges and prosecutors solidifying the oligarchic rule by contributing to instrumentalization of judicial and prosecutorial institutions as a repressive mechanism for exerting excessive influence in political, economic, and public life.