“Georgia, which only a few years ago was itself the leader in the region, has today been brought by the Dream’s isolationist and collaborationist policies to the point where, in the process of relations with Europe, we are relying on Armenia, and with the United States - on Azerbaijan,” said Giorgi Sharashidze, one of the leaders and MPs of the party “For Georgia,” while speaking at a parliamentary plenary session in the format of a free tribune.

According to him, the rhetoric of “Georgian Dream” precisely repeats Soviet-era and Cold War propaganda narratives.

“Last week, Yerevan hosted the leaders of 48 states.

It is precisely rapprochement with Europe and the establishment of strategic relations with the United States that gives Armenia’s prime minister the courage, alongside pragmatic politics, to preserve dignity and, when necessary, express a principled position even in the Kremlin, publicly rejecting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative regarding a referendum in Armenia on EU membership and future relations with Russia. And what is the Dream doing meanwhile? On May 9, when Putin and Gagloev signed an agreement in the Kremlin on deepening allied cooperation between the Russian Federation and the so-called Republic of South Ossetia - a gross violation of international law - instead of defending Georgia’s national interests, expressing a principled position on Georgia’s territorial integrity, mobilizing the support of strategic partners, and protesting another step toward the annexation of our territory, the government spent that same May 9 insulting our European partners once again. I will use this parliamentary tribune and, on behalf of our political force - the parliamentary opposition party ‘For Georgia’ - call on the Georgian government to condemn the so-called ‘deep integration agreement’ signed between Moscow and the Tskhinvali de facto puppet regime and to take necessary measures to stop creeping annexation. We also call on the international community, despite the Dream’s inaction, to properly respond to yet another violation of international law by Russia,” Sharashidze stated.

He focused on the foreign and domestic effects of the policies pursued by “Georgian Dream.”

“European integration halted by the Dream; visa liberalization hindered due to democratic backsliding; senior officials sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act; anti-European rhetoric from high-ranking government officials; strategic partners declared enemies; and Georgia left alone with Russia - disappearing from the global political map; the harshest ‘Moscow Mechanism’ activated against Georgia after Belarus and Russia.

This is only a small list concerning foreign affairs, and what is happening inside the country as a result of the Dream’s isolationist and anti-European policies?

Higher prices for food, medicines, electricity, fuel, customs clearance for cars, and all government services; rising inflation especially on food products and healthcare; the arrest of the head of the State Security Service for protecting criminal call-center schemes; the arrest of the prime minister and defense minister over corruption involving expired canned food for soldiers, theft from soup kitchens for the poor, stealing money allocated for children’s nutrition in kindergartens, and other disgraceful crimes; parents of children protesting in the streets demanding medicine and the salvation of their children while the state offers them nothing.

This is the unfortunate reality, for which the main responsibility lies with the Dream regime, which today is the most incompetent and corrupt government of the last 14 years, as demonstrated both by the collapse of foreign policy and by the rising cost of living and injustice within the country.

The annual report published by the European Commission on November 4 last year was historically the most critical report, which unfortunately was caused by the Dream’s deviation in recent years from Georgia’s democratic development and European future, as well as serious regression regarding the implementation of the nine steps that had led to the country receiving candidate status in 2023.

Instead of discussing today the progress achieved by Georgia and debating what could have been done better in the fields of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, unfortunately we are forced from this parliamentary tribune to tell the Dream government - which is directly responsible for Georgia’s foreign policy - that yes, the Dream alone is responsible for leading Georgia’s EU accession process into a dead end, and yes, the Dream must answer why Georgia halted the EU accession process and violated the constitutional framework, grossly breaching the obligation under Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution.

Today we face a reality where the Dream government not only fails to protect Georgia’s Constitution but blatantly violates it. Unfortunately, Georgia today is further from EU membership than it was in 2023 when it received candidate status.

By adopting repressive legislation undermining fundamental human rights and freedoms, using the judiciary as a political weapon, fully subordinating state institutions to a party vertical, ignoring the core democratic principle of separation of powers and checks and balances, establishing systemic political corruption, persecuting opposition leaders, unjustifiably arresting participants in protests, and restricting media and civic space - all of which directly indicate not only democratic backsliding but the strengthening of authoritarian governance - Georgia has completely distanced itself from fundamental European values such as human rights, rule of law, fair courts, and democratic governance.

The Dream continues to spread disinformation and anti-EU propaganda and rhetoric aimed at instilling fear and distrust among the Georgian population toward our main strategic partner, the great European family, membership in which is the choice of the overwhelming majority of Georgia’s population,” Sharashidze stated.