There has been considerable pressure brought to bear on the Government of Georgia in one way or another to join in this confrontation with Russia. Such a statement Andrej Hunko, member of the Bundestag/member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, made in his speech at PACE.

"In January, we took a decision to sanction the Georgian delegation following which they left, given the querying of their credentials in January. My group voted against that. In the debate, we said that this parliamentary assembly has found itself in a bit of an impasse, which is where we find ourselves today.

I observed the elections of October, 26, and the run-up period. From my impression, having observed numerous elections, the level of irregularities was no different than in previous elections or cases, and not very different from some elections held in member states of the Council of Europe.

What has changed in Georgia is the geopolitical orientation of the country following the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine in 2022. There has been considerable pressure brought to bear on the Georgian government in one way or another to join in this confrontation with Russia. The Government of Georgia refused to do that, not because of a pro-Russian stance, but rather because they feared their country would be destroyed in such a war.

You might find that right or wrong, but I think it is extremely urgent for us to respect geopolitical diversity. The Georgian government, obviously with the support of the majority of population, set out on this path not to be pro-Russian, but rather to keep clear of any confrontation, to remain neutral. I think it is wrong if that is the reason to sanction or punish the Georgian delegation.

We are the only assembly, the only international organization that would be in a position to promote dialogue, but one where Georgia would not be represented - I think that would be wrong", - said Andrej Hunko.