Hearing on Georgia at the Helsinki Commission. “From Partner to Problem: Georgia’s Anti-American Detour” - the meeting, held under this title, was attended by only two persons invited from Georgia as witnesses - former President Salome Zourabichvili and former Minister of Defense Tina Khidasheli. The hearing was chaired by Congressman Joe Wilson.

“The U.S. conciliatory approach toward Georgia’s de facto leadership has failed in the past and will not succeed now! There is no time for ambiguity; a clear policy toward Georgia is needed!

What the ruling regime in Georgia is doing is not just a betrayal of democratic values - it is a direct rejection of strategic partnership with the US. American taxpayers, diplomats, and military personnel have invested significant efforts in Georgia’s success. Watching this investment be squandered due to anti-democratic behavior, actions contrary to U.S. security interests, and hostile rhetoric must be unacceptable.

Accountability is essential! There must be real consequences for those in power who are destroying democratic institutions, suppressing dissenting opinions, and threatening the country’s Euro-Atlantic path. The Georgian people deserve better, as do the American people, whose support has always been based on the hope for a free, stable, and democratic Georgia”, - said Salome Zourabichvili.