President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Damon Wilson, recorded an address to Georgians in response to the ongoing developments regarding the Russia-styled law on agents of foreign influence. He also responded to the allegations that Georgia’s ruling party and government officials have leveled against the NED, accusing it of supporting “revolution” and funding “radical extremism.”
The transcript follows:
For a few weeks, we’ve been in the news quite a bit in Georgia. But you and I know this was never really about NED. The actions this week show that it’s about you. It’s about Georgians who love their country, support democracy, and know Georgia is part of Europe. So this week, in the wake of horrendous assaults on peaceful protesters, I wanted to reach out directly to say “thank you.”
We support you. We admire you. And so many Georgians turned out to protest your parliament’s consideration of the Russian-inspired foreign agents law. As that was happening, a delegation from Georgia’s parliament visited Washington [D.C.] this week. The delegation began our discussion here at NED by noting its intent to put flesh on the bones of the U.S.-Georgia strategic partnership, as they put it. We were a bit incredulous.
As just minutes before, we heard Bidzina Ivanishvili’s chilling remarks to the Georgian people, where he demonized and dehumanized patriotic Georgians who work in support of their communities, promised violence against the political opposition, and attacked Georgia’s closest friends and allies. Far from strengthening the U.S.-Georgian relationship, the government seems intent on ripping the flesh away from it.
So at the same time that the government moves to break the bonds of friendships with its allies, it has displayed a brazen willingness to move against you, its own people. We’ve watched as riot police and special forces have mercilessly beaten citizens and detained them, used violence against peaceful protesters. It’s a sad time in Georgia. First for all, [for] the Georgians who believe in a democratic Georgia anchored in Europe.
It’s also a sad time for all of Georgia’s many friends who have invested so much over the years in all of you, in our relationships, and in the Georgian people.
We have gladly given Georgia our energy and support because of your remarkable determination to forge a democracy in a difficult region, to inevitably link your country’s destiny with the West, to claim unabashedly and unapologetically your ambition for European Union and NATO membership. It’s your energy, animation and determination that has captured the imaginations of so many Americans, myself included.
And despite the kinship we feel with you, we know we’ve let you down in the past. 2008 is a dark stain for many of us, for me personally. But the failures of our past reinforce our commitment to Georgia’s future today. It reinforces our support to Georgians and their aspirations for a sovereign, democratic, European future, simply the ability to determine your own destiny. And as we told the delegation this week, we’re not going away.
We’re in it for the long haul – because you are. As Senator Shaheen and Risch, along with 12 other senators, underscored in a letter last week, there will be consequences for Bidzina and for those who vote to approve the Russian-style legislation. And for anyone impeding the will of the Georgian people for freedom and democracy, we don’t shrink from historic moments. We double down. This is such a moment.
The fault lines of history are shifting. Russia’s brutal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine has opened a door for Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia to become a part of the European Union, which is now ready to embrace those in Europe’s east and the South Caucasus who yearn to join its community of democratic nations. Elections in Georgia can accelerate Georgia’s pace to Europe or set it back for generations. It is a moment when Georgia can choose to anchor itself in the free world or not.
When we see the tens and tens of thousands of you on the street in peaceful, jubilant protest, we remember our optimism, our confidence in Georgia. We remember why we fell in love with Georgia in the first place. The spirit of Georgia lies not at the end of a police baton but in the couple who celebrated their wedding amidst the protests. Not in the delusional speech of a single man but in the collective display of national unity on Rustaveli [avenue]. Not in the water cannons deployed against citizens but in the brave souls waving EU flags facing the harsh spray, expressing loudly their aspiration for freedom that no force can silence.
As many of you stand up for your rights and protest to protect your future, our message to you is this: we see you, we hear you, and we support you. Our support will not waver. We are with you through whatever comes. You are on the right side of history.
Good luck and stay safe. Thank you.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)