US, European lawmakers call for free elections in Georgia, sanctions on “Ivanishvili’s regime”

A bipartisan group of US and European lawmakers, along with former senior officials, on Wednesday issued a joint statement urging democratic governments to demand free and fair elections in Georgia and to reject the current administration “led by Bidzina Ivanishvili”, the ruling Georgian Dream party’s founder and honorary chair.

The statement also calls for unified sanctions against Georgian officials and propagandists undermining the country’s democracy and sovereignty.

The signatories call on democratic governments to insist on free and fair elections in Georgia, rejecting the current regime led by Ivanishvili.
It also advocates for a unified policy that no high-level meetings should occur between democratic governments and the current Georgian administration until it agrees to new, properly monitored, and conducted elections.

The signatories call for unified sanctions against “Ivanishvili’s regime”, Georgian Dream officials, and propagandists who are undermining Georgia’s democracy and sovereignty.

The joint statement is signed by the following individuals:

Joe Wilson: Congressman, Chairman of the US Helsinki Commission.
Steve Cohen: Congressman, Co-Chairman of the US Helsinki Commission.
Richard Hudson: Congressman, Member of the US Helsinki Commission.
Mark Green: Congressman, Member of the US Helsinki Commission.
Michal Šerba: Member of the European Parliament.
Irma Kalnina: Member of the Latvian Parliament, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Eerik-Niiles Kross: Member of the Estonian Parliament, Vice-President of the ALDE Group in PACE.
Michael Roth: Member of the German Bundestag, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Tom Tugendhat: Member of the UK Parliament.
Marco Mihkelson: Member of the Estonian Parliament, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Radosław Fogel: Member of the Polish Sejm, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Gustaf Gottberg: Member of the Swedish Parliament.
Urmas Reinsalu: Member of the Estonian Parliament.