“After Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, Georgia was put under a lot of pressure, the government was put under a lot of pressure to take part in a confrontational course. If you look at the geography of Georgia, it is understandable that Georgia does not want to be drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia,” said Andrej Hunko, a member of the German Bundestag and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in Bundestag during a discussion on Georgia.

“In view of the elections in Georgia on October 26, I recommend a little more differentiation and a little more restraint. I think that this debate should not be abused to give one or another election recommendation in Georgia. Mr Abraham, you were absolutely right to describe the politics of the Georgian dream over many, many years, including some successes. Then suddenly there was a turnaround. But why was there a turnaround? I just want to remind you of the situation Georgia is in.

After Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, Georgia was put under a lot of pressure, the government was put under a lot of pressure to take part in a confrontational course, for example through economic sanctions but also through military arms deliveries, and the government rejected that. I think if you look at the geography of Georgia, it is understandable that Georgia does not want to be drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia.

I was also in Tbilisi with some others from the Council of Europe. We are from the President of the Parliament that the pressure is very, very great. I don’t think everything that is coming from the Georgian Dream government makes sense. A lot of things are going in an authoritarian direction. But the greater the polarization and the more we tell the Georgians that if you vote for them, you will join Europe, if you vote for them, you will now be with Russia, that actually presents the country with an alternative that should be put forward. I hope that the elections will be free and fair and the job of election observers who are there is to ensure that the elections are free and fair and not to take a stand for one side or the other,” he said.