Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), head of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11), President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, issued the following statement regarding the events leading up to the recent Georgian parliamentary elections:

 “We are deeply concerned by the pre-election environment of Georgia’s October 26th elections which were marred by reports of vote buying, voter intimidation, abuse of administrative resources, and questionable appointments to election oversight boards.

 “The October 26th elections presented Georgia an invaluable opportunity to prove to the international community, to NATO countries and the European Union that Georgia remains firmly committed to its Euro-Atlantic path. Unfortunately, through campaign rhetoric blaming the West for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, foreign agents’ legislation passed to root out civil society, and lack of accountability for violent attacks against political opposition figures, Georgia’s government provided no such reassurance. These elections, which posed significant challenges to the democratic process, move Georgia significantly further away from joining NATO and the European Union.

 “Widespread pressure on public sector employees to vote for the incumbent party and a refusal to investigate violent attacks on political opponents are authoritarian behaviors, and a drastic departure from the vibrant, multiparty emerging democracy that once defined Georgia.

 “In the aftermath of the October 26th election, we must be clear: The United States and all NATO countries stand with the Georgian people and their Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”