Helsinki Commission Holds Hearing on Georgia’s Democratic Backsliding

Chairman, Co-Chairman, distinguished Commissioners, and Members of the Commission,

Thank you for inviting me and for giving me the opportunity to represent the vision of the vast majority of my Georgian compatriots. My goal here today is

1. To Defend Georgia’s single most important foreign policy priority: maintaining and strengthening our strategic partnership with the United States.
2. I stand here To Expose Authoritarian Drift and present alarming evidence that the Georgian Dream government has systematically and rapidly abandoned this national interest, turning instead toward alliances with authoritarian powers.
3. To show Why Georgia Matters to America —anchoring the Black Sea, resisting China, Russia and Iran, and keeping a strategic bridge between Europe and Asia open.

The concrete evidence, I bring here today, speaks not just about the Georgian government’s departure from a strategic partnership with the US, but speaks first and foremost about their departure from the will and strategic interests of the Georgian people.

This is a departure from the cause,

• that led Georgian hero George Antsukhelidze to sacrifice his life, while being tortured by Russian invaders in 2008;
• this is a departure from the cause, which led Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli to sacriffce her freedom in 2025, while protecting the cause of Antsukhelidze from the increasingly anti-Western and pro-Russian government of Georgia.

I also speak to you as former Minister of Defense, of a country that stood as U.S. partner for over two decades, fighting shoulder to shoulder in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. Georgia was the largest non-NATO and second-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan. We paid a heavy price, with the highest casualty rate and 435 wounded.

I appear before you today as a Georgian citizen alarmed that, since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the regime in Tbilisi has waged a relentless campaign to dismantle every bond with the U.S., EU, and UK—denouncing these partnerships as a conspiracy of an ‘imaginary global war party’ and in doing so, striking at the very core of Georgia’s sovereignty and independence.

Let me begin with a simple truth:

For more than thirty years, the United States has stood by Georgia as a reliable partner, a supporter of our sovereignty, and a defender of our freedom.

I want to begin by acknowledging this legacy, although this legacy is under attack now.

there is no security plan for Georgia without the United States. Without U.S. assistance and commitment, Georgia’s statehood would not have been secured and would not have survived.

• It was U.S. involvement in 2008 that stopped Putin in Georgia.
• U.S. leadership has been, and remains, central to the non-recognition policy of our breakaway regions occupied by Russia.
• It was the US assistance that helped us build the modern army and state institutions.
• It was the US assistance that helped us build hospitals and schools, develop university programs…etc ., list is very long.  

We hope this partnership can be preserved.

Georgia matters to the United States, Europe, and the international community for three fundamental reasons:

• Geography
• strategic connectivity,
• and its democratic example.

Georgia lies at the very heart of the Middle Corridor — the modern Silk Road route linking East and West, North and South – connecting Europe with Central Asia, bypassing Russia and Iran. We may be small in size, but our competitive advantage has been our role as a gateway and a connector.

• We linked Central Asia to European markets through pipelines, railways, and ports.

This is not only a trade route. It is what I call the “corridor of freedom.” When goods, energy, data, and people fly through Georgia, they fly through a country that has chosen democracy and freedom. Unlike its northern alternative, it is a route where there is no political blackmail; it is both practical and politically reliable for the United States and its allies. Ironically, today when Russia’s weaknesses were exposed in Ukraine (demonstrated everywhere from Syria to Karabakh), it still manages to tighten its grip on Georgia, specifically to close off that corridor of freedom. 

For the United States, the Middle Corridor’s offer is invaluable: resilience in the face of authoritarian strongholds, given the fundamentalist threat from Iran, the authoritarian menace of Russia, seeking to weaponize its geography and China cementing BRI, the Middle Corridor provides the democratic alternative.

Georgia is its anchor. Without Georgia, there is no free corridor – lose it, and the door opens to Russia, China and Iran.

(Show Iran Report:) Here is our latest publication “-” that documents how a once US’s strategic partner can change alliances, become problematic in avoiding sanctions, and disrespecting partnerships.

The Present Danger: Why Georgia Is Under Threat Today

A free, democratic, Western-oriented Georgia is unacceptable to Moscow, Tehran and increasingly problematic for Beijing. And unfortunately, today’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, has chosen a path that serves those authoritarian interests rather than resisting them. They undermined institutions, manipulated elections, and criminalized dissent. They have arrested opposition leaders, used violence against peaceful protestors, and refused to respect the will of the Georgian people expressed at the ballot box.

GD has deepened ties with authoritarian powers. They court Chinese companies while blocking U.S. businesses from opportunities in the Middle Corridor.

(Show report on Anaklya and case) Anaklya case is the best prove of it. Georgian-American consortia kicked out and promised Chinese investor. We wrote a lot about, collected al the evidence and can provide it all.

Make no mistake, the Chinese are not even investing in Georgia.

Instead, they win procurement bids one after another under favorable conditions and reap benefits from Georgia. Here we have been investigating, researching and writing about those dirty deals over the years, company after another. While U.S. companies have invested billions in the Georgian economy and provided over $4 billion in aid for our security and institutions, the Chinese are exploiting the corrupt and kleptocratic nature of the GD government and gaining more and more.

They secured over 4.5 billion, and this represents only a small portion of contracts (8 infrastructure projects out of many) they have received. Let me stress this point once again, so as not to be misunderstood, there is no significant FDI from China in Georgia. It is all your money — IFI money, American, European, or Georgian taxpayers’ money.

The consequences are grave. Georgia drifting into authoritarianism does not only threaten its own people. It directly undermines U.S. interests in the region:

• It weakens the reliability of the Middle Corridor as a secure transit route.
• It reduces U.S. influence in the Black Sea and Eurasia at a time when Russia and China are fighting for expanding theirs.
• It emboldens authoritarian regimes by proving that Western allies can be peeled away and democratic experiments reversed.

This is not simply Georgia’s internal problem.

It is a strategic setback for the entire transatlantic community.

Our competitive advantage was never oil or gas. It was a democratic Georgia, — European, free and ready to stand side by side with the United States and European allies. It has threatened Moscow’s imperial project and ambitions.

If Georgia can succeed, then Russians may ask: why not us? If Georgians can live under the rule of law, then Belarusians may wonder: why not us? Georgia’s transformation was infectious. And for Russia, China, Iran and for every authoritarian power, this was deeply dangerous. And that is precisely why Russia, and now increasingly China, have a vested interest in undermining our sovereignty, corrupting our institutions, and dragging us back into the orbit of authoritarianism.

If Georgia fails on its democratic path it sets a dangerous example for the whole region.

But here is the good news: the Georgian people have not given up.

Despite repression, despite propaganda, despite the ruling party’s betrayal of our democratic aspirations, Georgians remain overwhelmingly pro-Western. Poll after poll shows support for EU and NATO membership at historic highs. The people continue to believe in freedom. And they continue to believe in the United States. This distinction matters. Because when we speak of Georgia today, we must not confuse the government with the nation. Georgians continue to wave American and EU flags at protests. They continue to demand that Georgia belongs to Europe and to the democratic world.

Georgia has always relied on U.S. support, and in these difficult times, we need it more than ever. We need you to stand by us while we talk to our friends or our enemies. At the heart of these conversations are the questions of EU membership, NATO membership, and the reality of Russian occupation.

For nearly 300 days now, Georgians have been protesting in the streets — in the rain, in the cold, facing batons, tear gas, and prison cells. These are not symbolic gestures; they are sacrifices. Activists, journalists, artists, teachers, risk everything because they refuse to accept a stolen future.

• Journalist Mzia Amaglobelihas been targeted by police, arrested and sentenced.
• A schoolteacher, Nino Datashvili,is waiting for her prison term and dozens of others not for crimes, but for loving Georgia and refusing to tolerate dictatorial policies.
• Georgian political leaders were called by the special commission of the one-party parliament set to gather testimonies favoring the Russian version of its 2008 invasion of Georgia – provocation of the West executed by the Georgian president. Leaders refusing to appear to this commission were prosecuted and jailed.

We fight everyday and we need all the support: 

sanctions, diplomatic measures targeting political elite of the Georgian Dream, the enablers of the regime, the Russian-style propaganda machine, and the ideologists of a Putin-driven policy.

This brings me to the role of the United States. The U.S. has always been, and must remain, the indispensable ally for Georgia’s democracy. At this critical juncture, I would urge this Commission and the U.S. Congress to consider the following:

1. Targeted Accountability.Sanctions and visa bans should be directed at the ruling elite, their families, and their enablers. punish those who betray Georgia. More Sanctions for GD leadership, more scholarships for Georgia youth and students.
2. Support for Democratic Institutions and Civil Society.Assist independent media, civil society organizations, and grassroots movements. These are the lifelines of democracy in Georgia today.
3. Stand explicitly with the Georgian people.Make clear that U.S. support is for democracy, sovereignty, and independence — not for any ruling party undermining these values. Publicly and repeatedly affirm U.S. commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic future.  Regardless of the regime we need US to defend non recognition policy of the Russian occupied territories at the UN, we need doors open to NATO and the EU.
4. Support bipartisan legislation, the MEGOBARI Act, that represents exactly the kind of sustained, strategic support that can help Georgia’s civil society, independent media, and reformers survive these difficult times.  Targeted sanctions against those who undermine democracy and tirelessly make friends with the Axis of Evil, enemies of the US, and democratic transatlantic partners are equally vital. MEGOBARI act sends the strongest possible signal that Georgia’s democratic future remains a U.S. strategic priority. It provides tools to hold accountable those who undermine democracy, while strengthening the capacity of civil society and independent institutions.
5. Invest in the Middle Corridor and connectivity.Georgia’s strategic geography must not be left to Chinese, Russian or Iran influence. U.S. businesses and infrastructure initiatives should be prioritized and supported, ensuring that the corridor remains open, resilient, and democratic. Support U.S. and european investment in the Middle Corridor, in Georgia’s Black Sea ports, in digital infrastructure, and in energy transit. This is not a charity; it is a mutually beneficial strategy. By anchoring Georgia in the Western economic system, the United States will secure its own access and influence across Eurasia.
6. Deepen security cooperation.Georgia has shown through its contributions in Afghanistan and Iraq that it is a reliable security partner. Renewed defense cooperation, joint training, and stronger deterrence measures in the Black Sea are not gifts — they are mutually beneficial investments.
7. And once again, maintain people-to-people ties.Scholarships, exchanges, cultural programs, and civil society support all sustain the pro-Western orientation of Georgia’s younger generation. This is long-term resilience building at its best.

Georgia’s story is not finished.

We have stumbled, but we have not fallen. The Georgian people remain committed to the values that made us a partner of the United States. We are at a moment of profound danger, yes.. If left to drift, Georgia may indeed slide deeper into authoritarianism and away from the West. But with U.S. support — steadfast, bipartisan, principled — Georgia can still reclaim its role as a beacon of democracy, stability and business opportunity in the Black Sea region.

Let me conclude by saying that Georgia still matters. It matters for America’s security, Europe’s stability, and the global contest between democracy and authoritarianism.

This is not only about Georgia. It is about the credibility of democracy in a contested world. It is about whether the United States and its allies can still shape the global order in a way that resists authoritarian expansion. It is about whether freedom corridor will be held by those who believe in liberty, or by those who would use it to divide and control.

Back in 2008, we were telling to the whole world that it is not about Georgia, it is about not allowing an aggressor swallow a small neighbor (which would be an irreparable blow to the rules based international order). And here, we have an evidence, how 2008 invasion of Georgia led to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and eventually to the full scale invasion of Ukraine. Now is the continuation of that episode by other means. Russia is trying to finish the business it started back in 2008 by exporting its authoritarian political system. 

Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, Members: Georgia has always aspired to be America’s partner, never its problem. Make no mistake: there is no Friendly Georgia without it being a democratic, European state. Authoritarian Georgia with a despotic regime in Tbilisi is a suitable partner only for Iran, Russia and China.

For us, Georgians, America first means Georgia first. That‘s because the United States was the brightest guiding light throughout our journey from communism to the free world. For Georgians, a strong America always meant a strong strategic partner in making freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human dignity, prosperity, and security first on Georgian soil as well.

These temporary setbacks under an authoritarian government cannot erase the lasting truth: a democratic Georgia makes America stronger. Thank you for your attention, support, and unwavering commitment to Georgia’s future