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. Such a statement released by the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of 8 countries.

“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 destabilising 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”, - reads the joint statement.