MP Makhashvili: Joe Wilson-sponsored draft resolution more undermines trust in OSCE than upholds its principles

The Chair of the Parliament’s European Integration Committee, Levan Makhashvili, called for the complete rejection of a draft resolution on Georgia submitted by U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, saying the document is fundamentally flawed and cannot be remedied through individual amendments.

Addressing the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Makhashvili said the resolution repeats groundless and unsubstantiated allegations regarding Georgia’s parliamentary elections and undermines confidence in the electoral process.

“I obviously speak today against this biased draft resolution sponsored by Mr. Joe Wilson. It does more to undermine trust in OSCE than to uphold its principles. The document amplifies unproven claims on elections. It erodes the very electoral integrity it claims to uphold and contradicts OSCE commitments to non-intervention. Take election observation reports of the last 10 elections observed across the entire OSCE area and tell me which one was better than Georgia in terms of the array of problems. But can you name one country that deserves such obsessive attention on this forum even after two years of elections? It is a matter of profound concern that certain delegates of OSCE PA are exhibiting a disturbing tendency towards obsessive preoccupation, resembling the conspiracy theories found only in the works of fiction.

Having examined the resolution sponsored by Mr. Joe Wilson, I find this conclusion difficult to avoid. This is not a parliamentary diplomacy. It is an instrumentalisation of our common OSCE PA platform, damaging the very fabric of dialogue we claim to uphold.

So ironic that an American congressman is critical to another country trying to have transparency legislation while having much stricter Foreign Agents Registration Acts in his own country.

Mr. Chair, piecemeal improvements unfortunately cannot remedy the fundamental conceptual and substantive shortcomings embedded throughout the entire document. Most of the draft resolution is beyond reasonable judgment; therefore, the most responsible step would be to reject the current draft entirely,” Makhashvili said.