"A country's independence and sovereignty do not exist on the basis of statements alone. Who is the guarantor of security? They do not say the army, they do not say the economy, they do not say a system of bunkers, they do not say high technologies—they say Bidzina Ivanishvili. What does it mean that one individual is the guarantor of security? If the enemy invades, will he be the first to go to the front, or how exactly does he intend to stop Russian tanks—with goodwill?" Giorgi Tumasiani, an adviser to the For Georgia First party, said during PalitraNews' program Day's Newsroom.
According to Tumasiani, given the current developments in Russia, the position of the Georgian Dream party is not favorable. In his assessment, Ukraine has already gained a strategic advantage in the Russia–Ukraine war, and he expects that advantage to grow further.
Tumasyan said he expects Georgian Dream to try to transform its entire political logic in response to these developments. However, he argued that neither the West nor the Georgian people should allow the ruling party to do so.
"Ukraine has struck Russia in a very sensitive area. The oil refining sector is not only a source of revenue for Russia but also the foundation of its military campaign, without which it cannot sustain serious military operations. Against this backdrop, Georgian Dream will try to change its entire logic.
When you say, 'So, do you want war?' you are effectively saying that your opponent could conquer you within a few hours or a few days. Then you come out and claim that you are an independent and sovereign country. On what basis? Independence and sovereignty do not exist on the basis of statements. Who is the guarantor of security? They do not mention the army, the economy, bunker systems, or high technologies. They say Bidzina Ivanishvili. What does it mean that one person is the guarantor of security? If the enemy invades, will he be the first to go to the front, or how exactly will he stop Russian tanks—with goodwill?" Tumasiani said.
Tumasyan also argued that the foreign policy pursued by Georgian Dream cannot be described as a genuinely multi-vector foreign policy.
"I support a multi-vector foreign policy, but Georgian Dream is not pursuing one. Armenia is an example of a true multi-vector policy. It has close cooperation with the European Union, has adopted legislation on EU accession, the EU has opened its market to Armenia, and Armenia also has a deep strategic partnership with the United States.
When a multi-vector policy is not based on democracy, the result is what we see today: we have damaged relations with both the United States and the European Union, while Georgian Dream has turned its relationship with the EU into hostility. Our openly pro-Western orientation—which is the historic choice of the Georgian people—has been replaced with a pro-Chinese Communist Party, pro-Iranian, and pro-Russian orientation, whereas Armenia has managed to maintain a balance. How can destroying relations with the United States and the European Union be described as a balanced multi-vector foreign policy?
Georgian Dream has attempted to nullify the democratic choice of the Georgian people. Having partnerships with many countries is a positive thing, but from a civilizational perspective Georgia is an inseparable part of Europe. Georgian Dream is rejecting our civilization. It has found strategic partners among countries whose invasions of Georgia we studied in school—from the Christianization of Georgia to Zurab Zhvania's famous words, 'I am Georgian, therefore I am European.' That is our civilizational choice," Tumasyan stated.
One of the topics discussed during the Day's Newsroom program was the critical declaration adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
"The OSCE resolution practically fully reflects the demands of the ongoing protest movement, which has continued to this day. It is not organized by anyone—it is the Georgian people's struggle for genuine independence and genuine sovereignty.
According to Georgian Dream's distorted logic, a small group of people is supposedly capable of controlling the OSCE and the European Union, while in a party where there is no internal democracy whatsoever, the Prime Minister claims to be the country's second most powerful figure. That is completely absurd.
The OSCE resolution's fundamental demands are the release of political prisoners and the repeal of unlawful laws. A law is not inherently just simply because it exists. Europe—the Europe we aspire to join—went through the experience of Nazi Germany under Hitler, where laws existed but were not just. The OSCE's message to repeal a law does not mean that the law is automatically fair or consistent with your country's constitution or international standards," Tumasiani said.
According to Tumasyan, the statements made by representatives of Georgian Dream in response to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's resolution amount to a direct indication that Georgia no longer intends to cooperate with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). In his assessment, this means the country is moving toward international isolation.
He further argued that withdrawing from international organizations would effectively turn Georgia into a model resembling Soviet Georgia.
"Back then there was also a flag, and there were people with Georgian surnames who nominally governed the country. Ending cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR would call into question the legitimacy of future elections," Tumasiani said.