Lelo’s Gegelia: Georgia should focus on domestic issues, not US-EU relations

“The United States and the European Union have maintained a close strategic relationship for more than half a century. They are currently reviewing and improving this relationship, and I don’t see anything alarming here. America and Europe will have no difficulty understanding each other,” said Grigol Gegelia, member of the “Lelo – Strong Georgia” party, in response to a question about the report by the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.

According to Gegelia, instead of focusing on US-EU relations, Georgia should prioritize its own domestic situation.

“It is better for us to concentrate on where Georgia is heading. Even if, like Armenia and Azerbaijan, Georgia participates in peace agreements and is part of new regional transit routes, the country remains isolated, economically stagnant, and socially unpromising. Our main concern should be the living conditions of the Georgian people, who are enduring an unbearable situation due to incompetent leadership and unprecedented legislation.

We have seen many autocratic tendencies in the past, including during Saakashvili’s era, but no government has committed such audacious acts against its own country. We are currently experiencing a complete anomaly. America and the European Union will find common ground on their issues; Georgia must focus on the ‘scams’ under which people live in poverty, hopelessness, and misery. Today, we face absurdities in daily life: restrictions on public spaces, arbitrary legislation, and a political system that ridicules its citizens. This is happening in the country of Chavchavadze, Takaishvili, and Gamsakhurdia. If this is acceptable to Georgians, it signals a deep problem,” said Gegelia.

For context, the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee published a report stating that “The European Commission remains committed to censorship, targets conservative content, and interfers in elections throughout Europe.” Following the report, a hearing was held in the committee titled “The European Threat to American Speech and Innovation: Part 2”, led by Congressman Jim Jordan, who claimed that “The European Commission is trying to censor freedom of expression and interfere in elections around the world.”