Georgia Discussed During OSCE PA Joint Session

The 2024 parliamentary elections and situation in Georgia were a topic of discussion at the joint meeting of the three General Committees of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on February 21, during the general debate on “Priority Challenges to European Security Concerns”. Several members expressed concern about the about the state of democracy in Georgia, the alleged electoral fraud and the repression.

U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, was one of the critics, as he sharply condemned Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections and the Georgian Dream government. During his speech Wilson spoke of the importance of preserving the free and fair elections in the OSCE area. In that context he said: “It is most concerning about the fraudulent election held in Georgia in October and disturbing pattern of repression that has followed in the wake, tragically providing for the rigged election that occurred in Georgia.” He added: “The de facto Georgian Dream regime in Tbilisi stands in violation of its freely undertaken OSCE commitments to hold fair and free elections… Fundamental freedoms subsequently have been forfeited as to its democratic legitimacy.”

Wilson called on his colleagues “to insist of new elections and to decline regular interactions with the Georgian Dream dictatorship until they can fulfill the demands.” He also said: “In fact the current Georgian Dream delegation today is illegitimate and has not been elected in a fair and free election as determined by the elections observers worldwide.”

Nikoloz Samkharadze, chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Dream parliament rebutted the criticism arguing that the Georgian elections were transparent and “held in politically pluralistic environment” and claimed that electronic technologies ensured their fairness. He accused “certain political foreign groups “of pressuring OSCE election observers into “producing biased reports” and interfering in Georgia’s electoral process. He also accused Joe Wilson of selective criticism. “Mr. Wilson, if you were honest in your address, you would have also condemned the so-called sham elections in the occupied region of Abkhazia,” he stated. Samkharadze highlighted Russia’s illegal occupation of Georgian territories and condemned the recent “presidential elections” held in Abkhazia by Moscow-backed separatists. “This represents a flagrant breach of international law and yet another attempt to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia,” Samkharadze declared, criticizing what he said was the lack of Western condemnation of these elections.

Another GD representative, Levan Makhashvili chair of the GD parliament European Integration Committee recalled Georgia’s past experiences with Russia, including the conflicts of the 1990s and 2008, as well as the ongoing occupation of Georgia’s historic regions. He claimed that the country’s survival amid a “once-in-a-lifetime geopolitical earthquake” required pragmatic action over emotional responses in the recent three years. Defending Georgia’s foreign policy choices, Makhashvili alleged that recent events have proven the country made the right decisions, stating, “While we were called all sorts of labels by some hot minds, all we were doing was indeed to survive” adding “And the ongoing developments on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine indicate only one thing: we made the right decisions.”

Dismissing the criticism of Georgian Dream policies as “disinformation” and alleging foreign interference in Georgia’s affairs he said: “We must navigate these turbulent times by supporting one another, not undermining each other by illegal foreign interference and disinformation that we heard today in this room too.”

One of three statutory meetings of the Assembly held each year, the Winter Meeting of the OSCE PA provides an opportunity for parliamentarians to interact with ambassadors and representatives of the OSCE’s executive structures. It is also when the rapporteurs of the OSCE PA’s General Committees share their preliminary ideas for the reports and draft resolutions they will present at the upcoming Annual Session.

Also Read:

• 17/02/2025 – Occupied Abkhazia’s “Presidential Elections” Enter Second Round
• 05/01/2025 – Opposition Demands OSCE PA President to Condition Georgia Visit
• 20/12/2024 – ODIHR Final Report Reiterates Multiple Concerns over October 26 Elections, Calls for Concrete Action
• 19/12/2024 – Opposition Calls on OSCE/ODIHR to Activate “Moscow Mechanism”
  

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