NATO's Parlamentariske Forsamling 2024-25
NPA Alm.del Bilag 5
Offentligt
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9 January 2025
To:
Marcos PERESTRELLO, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO
Cc:
Ruxandra Popa, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO
National delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO
Permanent Representatives to NATO
Subject:
Request Not To Engage with Georgian Dream Delegation
Dear President,
We, the undersigned representatives of Georgian political parties and coalitions, address this formal
and urgent appeal to the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO. Guided by profound respect for this
Assembly’s enduring commitment to upholding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,
we
hereby formally request not to engage with the Georgian Dream Delegation.
Unfortunately, the parliamentary elections of 26 October 2024 were deeply flawed and held in
violation of our country's constitutional principles and international democratic standards. The scale
and intensity of falsification mechanisms used by the Georgian Dream fundamentally undermined the
credibility of the electoral process, eroded public trust towards its results, and grossly violated
fundamental principles of free and fair elections. As a result, the self-proclaimed ‘Parliament,’ which
today consists of only the Georgian Dream MPs and the person nominated by the same body as
‘President’ of Georgia, cannot be considered legitimately elected. Neither reflects the will of the
majority of the Georgian voters as expressed through free and fair democratic elections.
The Assembly, reviewing the credentials of the ‘delegation,’ has to consider that any potential
delegation representing Georgia will be composed solely of the members of the self-proclaimed regime
of the Georgian Dream, given that we do not acknowledge the legitimacy of ‘parliament.’
Moreover, some of the individuals who might be nominated as delegation members may
be subject to existing or forthcoming international sanctions.
Key figures of the self-
proclaimed regime of the Georgian Dream, including oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is responsible
for democratic backsliding, electoral fraud, state-sponsored terror, mass human rights violations, and
the persecution of political opponents and activists, are subject to international sanctions imposed by
Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the United States.
Deeply flawed parliamentary elections and the one-party composition of the self-
proclaimed delegation are enough reasons not to engage with the Georgian Dream
Delegation.
In addition to Deeply flawed elections, Georgia has witnessed the brutal crackdown, illegal detention,
torture, and inhuman treatment of civilians participating in continuous peaceful protests over the past
 NPA, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 5: Joint Statement of the Georgian Democratic Political Forces
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weeks. This protest was triggered by the rigged elections and the declaration of the self-proclaimed
PM, Irakli Kobakhidze, regarding the suspension of Georgia’s EU integration process. To this day, not
a single case of violence against the peaceful demonstrators has been investigated. Meanwhile, up to
50 people remain in jail on fabricated charges, with hundreds of others facing administrative charges.
Ongoing political repressions have been amplified by recent draconian legislative changes, increasing
punitive measures against the demonstrators, and contradicting democratic principles and values
NATO stands for.
New elections and the release of all political prisoners are the only way, the European way, to resolve
the current severe crisis. Participants of a large, widespread, and permanent protest across the country
demand:
-
the immediate release of all political prisoners who were illegally detained during peaceful
demonstrations and
-
conducting new, free, fair, and transparent parliamentary elections.
While choosing to ignore these demands, the self-proclaimed regime of the Georgian Dream is solely
focused on achieving international recognition of the results of the falsified elections of 26 October
2024, its illegitimate one-party ‘parliament,’ and ‘president.’ The regime and its propaganda
machinery have a history of instrumentalizing the visits of international delegations to falsely claim
that each encounter with them means legitimizing the self-proclaimed regime of the Georgian Dream.
The most recent example of such a strategy is the visit of the Secretary-General of the Council of
Europe, which was exploited in this manner, causing significant backlash among the democratic
opposition and civil society.
The Assembly must not engage with the illegitimate one-party ‘parliament’ resulting from the
fraudulent elections of 26 October. Please bear in mind that the Georgian Dream cannot be a
trustworthy partner as it repeatedly violated previously agreed commitments and is responsible for
the systemic and well-planned erosion of the democratic framework in Georgia.
As outlined in our
Joint Statement (please see attached),
the only viable solution to restore Georgia’s democratic
trajectory and ensure adherence to European values is the conduct of new parliamentary elections
under free, fair, and transparent conditions.
Dear President,
The Assembly’s principled stance is vital for safeguarding democratic values in Georgia.
We strongly recommend the esteemed Assembly not to engage with the Georgian Dream
Delegation.
We remain at your disposal for any further clarification.
Respectfully,
Attached: Joint Statement of the Georgian Democratic Political Forces