Lelo’s Gegelia: I can confirm that State Department’s message was identical across every political group it met

“We all heard it clearly at the meeting, and we have seen the U.S. Embassy’s public statement that political participation and representation are strategically vital for political stability, and therefore for the United States,” said Lelo party member Grigol Gegelia, adding that what came from their partners was not a reprimand over the boycott, but advice about what course of action would be better.

“I do not think knowledge of English is even required to draw the correct and adequate meaning from the Georgian text. When it is written, and I quote: ‘A functional democracy requires a political opposition that engages with state institutions to represent the interests of the citizens who voted for them’. Foreign meetings do not take place so that anyone can lecture, scold, or reprimand anyone else. We have never been willing to participate in meetings of that nature. What our friends and partners are doing now is advising us, in their view, what the better path forward would be,” Gegelia said.

He explained that the 2024 boycott was a decision taken in response to a specific set of historical circumstances, with a stated purpose that the legitimacy of the national government should not and did not materialise.

“In the phase we are now in, and in the period that has followed, we have witnessed a great deal of historical development. We witnessed the 2025 elections, a crucial moment in the political struggle. Unfortunately, some of the democratic forces let this important opportunity slip through their fingers. That is a betrayal of the people. We will not betray the people who have a very clearly defined appetite for political struggle. The boycott declared in 2024 was a very specific political decision, taken in response to specific historical circumstances. It does not mean that boycotting should become a blanket, unconditional tendency that our political force should exist in a permanent state of boycott,” Gegelia declared.

Asked whether the opposition’s entry into parliament would have made Strong Georgia more effective against Georgian Dream, and whether, with hindsight, he believes the opposition should be in parliament, Gegelia replied: “That question is rather like asking whether the Second World War would have happened without the First. I cannot comment on what did not occur. We have been fighting for new elections for nearly two years now; we want new elections precisely so that we can be both in parliament and in national government. Of course, in an ideal world, our wish is to be represented in political institutions.”

Additionally, commenting on the ongoing dispute with Nika Gvaramia, Grigol Gegelia stated that he is unconcerned with what Nika Gvaramia announces.

“What interests me is what the State Department says. What Gvaramia says does not interest me in the slightest. The U.S. statement genuinely leaves no room for interpretation. I can unequivocally confirm that the United States State Department conveyed the same message to every political group it met with. When certain politicians manipulate the situation by claiming that Grigol Gegelia met with different Americans, the question worth asking is who met whom, and how successfully they managed to understand America’s message, whether in Georgian or in English. Because I can state without any ambiguity whatsoever: the State Department’s message was identical across every political group,” Grigol Gegelia concluded.

For context, Lelo member Grigol Gegelia stated on June 2, following the meeting with the American delegation: “We were told that America is disappointed with the boycott policy, and that the U.S. does not support boycotts or the skipping of elections.” Opposition Alliance leader Nika Gvaramia responded on social media: “Gegelia either met with different Americans, or he is lying; nothing of the sort was said, nor could it have been.”