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Chairman Menendez and European Allies on Political Situation in Georgia

NEWARK – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined his counterparts from Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic in issuing the following statement regarding recent anti-democratic developments in Georgia:    

“The storming of the office of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party in Georgia, in order to arrest Nika Melia, its Chairman, exposed the fragility of democracy and freedom in Georgia. Violence is incompatible with the stated aspirations of the Georgian Government and contravenes the 8 March 2020 Agreement between the government and opposition and facilitated by ambassadors of the European Union and the United States in Tbilisi.

“We call on the Georgians to come together to find political solutions to the problems we have seen emerge in recent years and not to resort to the tactics we have seen practiced by others to the detriment of the interests of the Georgian people.

“The destabilizing and antidemocratic actions, starting after the parliamentary election and continuing until most recently, highlight the personal responsibility of all those in positions of power to exercise restraint and the consequences for the whole nation for those who do not. Georgia’s place as a free member of the European family is not in doubt but is put in danger by the violence and assaults on freedom.”

Senator Robert Menendez

Chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations

Senate, United States of America

 

Senator Pavel Fischer

Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security

Senate, Czech Republic

 

Marek Kuchci?ski MP

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Sejm, Republic of Poland

 

Rihards Kols MP

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Saeima, Republic of Latvia

  

Marko Mihkelson MP

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Riigikogu, Republic of Estonia

 

Žygimantas Pavilionis MP

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Seimas, Republic of Lithuania

 

Dr Norbert Röttgen MdB

Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Bundestag, Federal Republic of Germany

 

Tom Tugendhat MP

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Parliament, United Kingdom

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