“Georgian Dream” is doing everything to suspend visa liberalization. They have lost the propaganda war and are unable, in any way, to pin the blame for this on the Georgian people, foreign partners, or the opposition. Bidzina Ivanishvili is sanctioning 4 million Georgians, – this is what one of the leaders of the United National Movement, Levan Sanikidze, stated.

According to him, the obligations that “Georgian Dream” has towards the European Union will not be fulfilled.

“Both ‘Georgian Dream’ and its propaganda outlets have found themselves in a very difficult situation. I am convinced that the legal and political obligations ‘Georgian Dream’ has towards the EU will not be fulfilled. They are deliberately dismantling Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic process and will not meet any commitments in the remaining time - commitments that primarily serve the protection of the Georgian people’s interests. But ‘Georgian Dream’ is far removed from advancing these interests.

It all started when Ivanishvili seized power on October 26 [2024] and, on November 28 [2024], turned Rustaveli Avenue into a slaughterhouse. There are political obligations—such as the release of political prisoners and holding fair elections. It is impossible not to recall the European Parliament’s statement that until ‘Georgian Dream’ holds fair elections, its government will not be recognized as legitimate by European states. Protection of human rights is critically important.

Ivanishvili himself uses this issue to blackmail the Georgian people. He blackmails Europe with the Middle Corridor project, the fiber-optic cable, and his influence in the region. Otherwise, if our European partners had not seen the Georgian people’s commitment to European aspirations, they might have suspended the matter even during the adoption of Russian laws. But there are certain rules of the game—both political and legal.

The cancellation of visa liberalization would be a sad and tragic event. Because of the power grab, the Georgian people will end up sanctioned by Ivanishvili’s government,” said Levan Sanikidze.

Levan Sanikidze also commented on the 2024 report released by the U.S. State Department, which discusses the human rights situation in Georgia. According to him, “This once again confirms that ‘Georgian Dream’ has no chance, even with Donald Trump’s administration, to normalize the situation or gain legitimacy.”

“We have seen a very important report from the State Department. Under Trump’s administration, this is the first report containing such highly critical messages. It talks about violence by ‘Georgian Dream,’ unprecedented pressure on the media, which, in my view, accelerates the adoption of the MEGOBARI Act. This once again confirms that ‘Georgian Dream’ has no chance, even with Donald Trump’s administration, to normalize the situation or gain legitimacy. Therefore, we are confident that the MEGOBARI Act will be adopted at the very beginning of autumn, which will actively support Georgian society while delivering a major blow to the Russian regime of ‘Georgian Dream,’” said Levan Sanikidze.