“Throughout those years, Georgians have chosen to fight for their freedom. We see that same fight reflected today in Georgia’s civil society,” stated MEP, Reinier van Lanschot, during the debate on Georgia in the European Parliament.

“Kartlis Deda -Mother of Georgians, her statue on top of Sololaki hill in Tbilisi shows the spirits of Georgia. In one hand, a ball of wine because guests are welcomed like family. A sword in the other because if you come in bad faith, they will resist. Sakartvelo, a country whose proud people speak an ancient language and can tell you beautiful stories about their diverse people and more than 4,000 years of history. Throughout those years, Georgians have chosen to fight for their freedom. We see that same fight reflected today in Georgia’s civil society, who are resisting the attacks on democracy by the Georgian Dream, the political party that is creating a Russian nightmare. They attacked civil society, journalists and minorities. They want to ban opposition parties and embrace Russia that’s still occupies parts of Georgia. They spread disinformation and lies, pretending that Russia equals peace and the EU equals war. They lie because they are afraid of the Georgian people and afraid of democracy. Because a good democracy deals corrupt leaders, the Gulf-escaped their money and takes away their power. The upcoming election will define Georgia for generations. And there is a new generation of young leaders who can build an open culture and parliamentary democracy. They will be the ones that can lead Georgia into the EU. As this resolution shows, they can count on our support. Just like the support that we’ve seen for them in Georgia society. Hundreds of thousands of Georgians were in the streets in one massive celebration. The image of a country that just received EU candidate status. Those same people protested autocracy last year. And just like, the support of Nana Malashkhia, she was in defiance of fierce police water cannons, waving a European flag,” he declared.