R. Juknevičienė. The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia

2024-10-08 | European Parliament, Georgia

Mr President,

first of all, many thanks to the colleagues from other groups with whom we agreed a strong resolution on Georgia this morning.

The European Parliament sends a very clear message to Bidzina Ivanishvili and his collaborators from the Georgian Dream: membership in the EU is incompatible with their politics. You cannot be pro-European and pro-Kremlin at the same time. You cannot support the European way of life and glorify Stalin at the same time.

The European Parliament will be closely monitoring the upcoming elections. We once again reiterate that the conduct of the elections should fully adhere to international standards. If the Georgian Dream continues following Lukashenka’s path, the EU will be forced to react and reassess Georgia’s fulfilment, including visa‑liberalisation benchmarks.

We also call for the immediate and unconditional release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili. The Georgian Government must be held fully accountable for any harm caused to Saakashvili’s life and health.

Now, the decision on the future of Georgia is in the hands of the Georgian people. Dear Georgians, nobody can be more responsible for Georgia’s future than you yourselves can. We hope that the Georgian people will find their way back to the democratic European family.