Wednesday, October 8, 2025

MEPs issue statement over Georgia

In a statement issued on Thursday, leading MEPs expressed their ‘profound concern regarding the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia.’

The Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister, the Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Sergey Lagodinsky, the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus Nils Ušakovs, the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for Georgia Rasa Juknevičienė and the Chair of the European Parliament’s Election Observation Mission for the 2024 parliamentary elections in Georgia Antonio López-Istúriz White issued the following statement on Thursday.“We express our profound concern regarding the further deterioration of the political situation in Georgia. We are shocked by the news that former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia was violently assaulted in a Batumi hotel and afterwards treated in hospital. This is yet another example of the escalating violence orchestrated by the Georgian Dream and its allies against peaceful protesters and dissidents.

We stand with the peaceful protesters who for 50 days have been demonstrating every evening in the streets of Georgia for a democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of their country. Georgia was for many years a champion of Euro-Atlantic aspirations with an overwhelming support of the people for this choice. That has not changed. What has changed is that the Georgian Dream has denied Georgians their future and does not even pretend anymore that they want a European democracy for Georgia.

The deteriorating situation in Georgia should not stay without a response. We stand by the position that currently President Salome Zourabichvili is the only clearly legitimate representative of the will of the Georgian people. We do not recognise the results of the parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024, as they were fraudulent and did not respect international standards for democratic elections. We do not recognise any decisions taken by this body. We strongly encourage the EU and its Member States to introduce personal sanctions against all those who are responsible for the democratic backsliding, in particular Bidzina Ivanishvili and Irakli Kobakhidze.

We encourage individual Member States and relevant regional organisations to avoid actively legitimising the self-appointed Georgian Dream authorities and call in this regard for suspending the EU Georgia Association Council. We urgently call for early elections, conducted in an improved election environment, managed by an independent and impartial election administration with widespread international observation, to ensure a genuinely free, fair and transparent process that would represent the will of the people of Georgia.”

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Speaker: Brussels must return to respecting democracy, rule of law, and sovereignty as foundations of rules-based international order

Brussels must return to respecting democracy, the rule of law, and sovereignty as the foundations of a rules-based international order, the Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili wrote on social media.Papuashvili referred to recent remarks by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and European Commission Spokesperson Anitta Hipper.Saakashvili wrote on social media that “on October 4, you will have the chance to deliver the final verdict on the regime of the Mankurts,” while Hipper said about the October 4 protest that “the European Union expresses solidarity with the people who are taking to the streets.”“Brussels’ substitution of values with political intrigues has led the EU to this deplorable reality. Brussels must return to respecting democracy, the rule of law, and sovereignty as the cornerstones of a rules-based international order,” Papuashvili wrote.

PM: Main principle of our policy is to take maximum care of our citizens

“The main principle of our policy is to take maximum care of our citizens and provide them with the most comfortable services. The House of Justice is an outstanding project in this regard,” the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated at the opening ceremony of the Gldani House of Justice. According to the Prime Minister, residents of Gldani will now have access to more than 500 services directly within their district. He emphasized that the new facility is part of a nationwide network that serves over 20,000 people daily at 125 locations across Georgia. “I would like to congratulate everyone, especially the residents of Gldani. From now on, they will receive more than 500 services in a comfortable environment. This is very important for the district’s residents,” Kobakhidze noted. The Prime Minister also stressed the project’s employment benefits, announcing that about 100 people will be hired at the Gldani branch. He underlined that the facility, like others in the network, is fully adapted for people with disabilities. Kobakhidze added that the government intends to further expand the network, ensuring that every municipality in Georgia is covered. In Tbilisi, construction of another House of Justice in Digomi will begin soon.

PM on Moldova’s Elections: Hard to congratulate while country remains in CIS

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze stated that it is difficult to congratulate Moldova on its recent elections while the country remains a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).Responding to a question on whether he intends to congratulate Maia Sandu on her electoral victory, Kobakhidze said the ruling party will wait until Moldova leaves the CIS.“As long as Moldova remains a member of the CIS, it will be difficult for us to congratulate. We will wait until Moldova leaves the CIS, and then we will see, we will reconsider the issue of congratulations,” the Prime Minister noted.

Merab Dvalishvili expresses desire to compete in White House UFC event

Georgian UFC super lightweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has voiced his interest in participating in a UFC event planned to take place at the White House next year.“I want to participate in the event that will be held at the White House next year. Even if my fight is the first in the lineup, I will be happy, because I know that Ilia Topuria, Conor McGregor, and Jon Jones also want to compete there,” Dvalishvili told Media Scrum.The idea of hosting UFC fights at the White House was proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who envisions the event taking place on July 4, 2026, in celebration of America’s 250th Independence Day anniversary.UFC President Dana White has confirmed the competition will go ahead, describing it as one of the most spectacular sporting shows the organization has ever staged.

Paata Burchuladze: On October 4, we will win and reclaim country

“We start on 4 October, we finish on 4 October— this is inevitable, we will definitely win,” said Paata Burchuladze, leader of the Rustaveli Avenue movement.According to him, the event is not a rally but a public meeting, where several issues will be discussed, including the formation of a technical government.“The only question months ago was whether enough people would come. I believe even more people will gather. This is not a rally — this is a national assembly. At the assembly, we will discuss whether the citizens of Georgia want to take power into their own hands, based on the constitution, and reclaim their country. I am sure no one doubts the answer will be yes. From the moment we vote, we become the masters of this country. After that, power must be in the hands of the people,” Burchuladze stated.He emphasized that a temporary technical government should be appointed, composed of professionals and honest individuals, which he said are rare today. According to Burchuladze, this government must oversee the process until new parliamentary elections are held, after which the winning political party will form the ruling government.

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