“The actions of the ruling party threaten not only our European journey but the very essence of our democracy. We call on everyone here and all our partners across Europe and the United States to stand with us in defending democratic values and in helping Georgia realize its European aspirations,” said Akhali Party leader Nika Gvaramia at a joint press conference with MEPs Rasa Juknevičienė, Viola von Cramon, Anna Fotyga and Petras Auštrevičius.

“We are currently witnessing very troubling legislative changes. These changes include proposals that dangerously mirror Russian Foreign Agents Law and that is why we call it a Russian Law which stigmatizes international non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and critical media outlets. I would add one more law, a recent law on tax legislation which I call Russian Law Two. This law gives advantages to wealthy Russian oligarchs, not just Ivanishvili but all of them and increases Russian capital influence in our country that would make Georgia a grey zone of money laundering and hiding sanctioned Russian oligarchs’ assets,” he said.

According to Nika Gvaramia, the current situation in Georgia stands at a “critical crossroads.”

“Apparently, the Russian Dream government has not complied with the EU recommendations necessary for advancing our EU formal negotiations. In response to anti-democratic measures, it is imperative that the EU representatives and international partners take a firm stance. We appreciate the current support from members of the European Parliament and EU officials and we urge for more decisive actions including strong, personal measures against those undermining our democratic process and as well enhance the democratic movements in Georgia, which are very important for democratic institutions, critical media and the NGO.

The upcoming 2024 parliamentary are very crucial from a historical perspective as well. We are calling for intensive observation missions to ensure the integrity of the election process. The active involvement of our partners in this critical time is essential to save Georgia’s democratic path. It must be mentioned that the adoption of the Russian law will effectively eliminate watchdogs registered as foreign agents, all of them will be unwilling to register as foreign agents which in turn will undeniably lead to problems in the legitimacy of election results.

The current situation in Georgia stands at a critical crossroads. The actions of the ruling party threaten not only our European journey but the very essence of our democracy. We call on everyone here and all our partners across Europe and the United States to stand with us in defending democratic values and in helping Georgia realize its European aspirations.

As we speak here, Georgians from all works of life and political backgrounds have taken to the streets marching for their freedom. This struggle includes the youth and the elderly, hardworking parents and brave young leaders. Georgian people are united, Georgian pro-Western opposition parties are united, Georgian civil society is united, Georgian critical media is united.

We are hoping for a better Georgia and pursuing happiness with diligence. We are neither optimistic nor pessimistic. We are determined to bring Georgia to the right path and return to our historic family, Europe, European Union, and build a modern democracy and a better future for our homeland and out future generations,” he said.