MEPs in Tbilisi Meet President, Opposition, CSOs
On December 12, the delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) held closed-door meetings with the President, opposition coalitions, NGOs, and media representatives. They have emphasized the need for stronger EU involvement. MEPs also called for the rerun of the recent elections, which they deemed neither free nor fair, and reaffirmed their commitment to Georgia’s European future.
The visit was preceded by the adoption by the European Parliament of the resolution jointly tabled by PPE, S&D, ECR, the Renew Group and Verts/ALE Group, “On Georgia’s worsening Democratic crisis following the recent parliamentary elections and alleged electoral fraud” which slamed the ruling Georgian Dream for the authoritarian shift, condemns the democratic backsliding in Georgia, including as a result of the allegedly rigged elections. Prior to the visit, on December 11, Rasa Juknevičienė, one of the visiting MEPs, outlined the purpose of the delegation on social media platform X, stating that the visit aimed to “show solidarity with Georgians fighting for a European future”. She also announced in the post that the MEP delegation will meet with the Georgian President, civil society organizations and media representatives.
While specific details of the talks remain confidential, the visit underlines the support and attention Georgia is receiving from the European Parliament in the midst of a deep political crisis.
Some of the MEPs have shared their reflections following their meeting with President Zurabishvili. For instance, Michał Szczerba stated that Georgia was granted with EU’s candidate status with certain conditions, of which one of the most significant one was to hold free and fair elections “and it must be said that these elections were neither free nor fair,” he highlighted. “Therefore, we ask the Georgian government to rerun these elections with certain conditions and according to the standards we respect in the European Union”, said Polish MEP.
In addition, Rasa Juknevičienė stated that: “We are here as a fact-finding mission to see the situation on the ground, and of course, our meetings are very important for drawing the right conclusions.” She also shared her thoughts that she wants the EU “to act, to be louder and more supportive.” She outlined that “We are not here to support any specific political party, but we are here to support Georgia as a country that is now at a very important and decisive moment”.
The list of the Delegation Members in Georgia:
- Rasa Juknevičienė (Lithuania, European People’s Party – EPP)
- Michał Szczerba (Poland, European People’s Party – EPP)
- Nathalie Loiseau (France, Renew Europe)
- Bernard Guetta (France, Renew Europe)
- Tobias Kremer (Germany, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
- Reinier van Lanschot (Netherlands, Greens/European Free Alliance)
The NGO sector also commented after the meeting with the delegation. Nino Dolidze, head of ISFED, said: “The arrival of the Members of the European Parliament is very important – they are expressing their concerns and reaffirming their support for the Georgian people in our democratic development and European future.” She added that the delegation had been briefed on human rights violations and current situation in Georgia.
Besides the European Parliament’s delegation, Gustav Getberg, a member of the Swedish Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is also visiting Georgia. On December 11, he issued a strong statement: “I recently arrived in Tbilisi to express support for the Georgian people, their European aspirations, and their right to peaceful protest”. He also wrote on X that: “Georgia is Europe, and Europe is Georgia – and no oligarch can change this essential fact.”
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