Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with influential European and US parliamentarians, issued the statement on the situation in Georgia

Press release, 26 February 2021

Today, Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with influential European and US parliamentarians, issued the statement with the aim of curbing antidemocratic tendencies in this country.

‘Although the Kremlin’s efforts and information attacks aimed at dividing Georgia and all of us have been particularly violent in recent days, this solidarity statement released together with the most influential chairpersons of the foreign affairs committees of the US Senate, the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the Senate of the Czech Republic, Sejm of the Republic of Poland, and the Baltic States, once again proves that we are not alone in tackling antidemocratic action in Georgia by highlighting personal responsibility of all those in positions of power for inciting violence and attacks against freedom,’ said Mr Pavilionis.

Please find the statement below:

‘The storming of the office of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party in Georgia, in order to arrest Nika Melia, its Chairman, exposed the fragility of democracy and freedom in Georgia. Violence is incompatible with the stated aspirations of the Georgian Government and contravenes the 8 March 2020 Agreement between the government and opposition and facilitated by ambassadors of the European Union and the United States in Tbilisi.

We call on the Georgians to come together to find political solutions to the problems we have seen emerge in recent years and not to resort to the tactics we have seen practiced by others to the detriment of the interests of the Georgian people.

The destabilising and antidemocratic actions, starting after the parliamentary election and continuing until most recently, highlight the personal responsibility of all those in positions of power to exercise restraint and the consequences for the whole nation for those who do not. Georgia’s place as a free member of the European family is not in doubt but is put in danger by the violence and assaults on freedom.

Mr. Pavel Fischer

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security

Senate of the Czech Republic

Mr Marek Kuchciński