Parliament official denounces Congressman Joe Wilson for failing to address sham “elections” in Russian-occupied Abkhazia region

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday responded to the US Congressman Joe Wilson’s statement at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Political and Security Committee meeting. Samkharadze criticised Wilson for failing to condemn the sham “elections” held in the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia while questioning the legitimacy of Georgia’s parliamentary elections.

In his remarks, Joe Wilson urged his colleagues to demand new elections in Georgia and to cease regular interactions with the ruling Georgian Dream party until they comply with certain demands.

Samkharadze strongly refuted Wilson’s claims, stating that certain foreign politicians, including Wilson, refuse to recognize the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections and continue to spread unverified allegations and misinformation.

“Mr. Wilson, if your concerns were genuine, you would have also condemned the sham elections held in the occupied region of Abkhazia. Now, let’s move to another crucial issue - the parliamentary elections in Georgia. Despite the elections being conducted in a politically pluralistic environment, with the implementation of transparent electronic voting technologies, and being significantly better organised than previous elections, a group of foreign politicians, including Mr. Wilson, refused to recognize the results and continue to disseminate completely unverified accusations and disinformation”, the Parliament official said.

He also highlighted that a member of the European Parliament accused the OSCE of being influenced by regimes that do not support free and fair elections, stressing that such statements not only damage the OSCE’s reputation and integrity but also demonstrate a complete disregard for the will of the Georgian people.

Furthermore, Samkharadze expressed deep concern over pressure allegedly exerted on the OSCE mission by certain foreign political groups attempting to influence the content of the final report and interfere in Georgia’s electoral process. He emphasised the importance of upholding international legal principles and urged all parties to respect the sovereign rights of the Georgian people.

“No credible international organization has stated that the elections in Georgia were rigged”, Samkharadze concluded.