Gakharia to Pia Kauma: I urge you to reconsider timing and purpose of your visit to Tbilisi
Giorgi Gakharia, Chairman of the Gakharia – For Georgia party, has addressed an official letter to Pia Kauma, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
In the letter, Gakharia urges Kauma to reconsider the purpose and timing of her visit to Tbilisi, ensuring it aligns with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s mission to uphold democracy, accountability, and human rights.
“Dear Madam President,
I am writing to express profound concern regarding your planned visit to Tbilisi at this pivotal moment in Georgia’s political crisis. While your leadership and commitment as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly are widely appreciated, the timing of this visit raises significant questions about its potential implications for the Georgian people’s ongoing fight for justice and their European future.
For 39 consecutive days, the Georgian people have demonstrated extraordinary resilience and determination through peaceful protests, demanding justice, accountability, and the restoration of Georgia’s European path. Engagement by Georgia’s allies and friends is viewed as a lifeline-one that affirms their resistance to authoritarianism is not only recognized but actively supported on the international stage.
However, in the hands of Ivanishvili’s regime, such visits risk being weaponized for propaganda purposes, as it has repeatedly exploited international engagement to fabricate a veneer of legitimacy. Moreover, Ivanishvili’s regime has demonstrated a persistent disregard for democratic norms and international standards. Sanctioned individuals implicated in grave human rights violations are not only shielded from accountability but are also rewarded and promoted. Such actions constitute a blatant rejection of international human rights principles and signal a deepening trend of authoritarian governance.
At this critical juncture, any engagement with the regime must be predicated on clear and uncompromising conditions. Foremost among these is the immediate and unconditional release of all brutally beaten and imprisoned political prisoners. Furthermore, dialogue must focus solely on the urgent need for new, free, and fair elections to restore the Georgian people’s confidence in their democratic future. Without these preconditions, any engagement risks legitimizing the regime’s oppressive actions and emboldening its authoritarian trajectory.
Madam President, I urge you to reconsider the timing and purpose of your visit to Tbilisi to ensure it aligns with the principles of democracy, accountability, and human rights that underpin the mission of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. While your commitment to fostering dialogue is deeply valued, I believe that your visit, as well as our meeting, at this particular moment may not fully achieve their intended purpose. Your engagement must amplify the voices of the Georgian people, who continue to defend their democratic aspirations with extraordinary courage and resolve.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent and critical matter. I remain hopeful that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will stand firmly and resolutely with the people of Georgia in their courageous fight for justice, freedom, and democracy,” Giorgi Gakharia’s letter reads.