Opposition leader warns Georgia becoming ‘difficult partner’ over ‘democratic decline’

Salome Samadashvili, a member of Georgia’s opposition party Strong Georgia, on Friday warned that the country was increasingly becoming a challenging partner for the international community due to its “deteriorating democratic values” under the current Georgian Dream administration.

Speaking ahead of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s annual session in Vienna, Samadashvili emphasized the heightened concern over Georgia’s political climate, which she said had sparked intense debate among OSCE members, including countries with their own democratic struggles.

“This shows that Georgia is actually becoming a country where, in terms of democratic values, the most difficult situation has been created for our partners,” Samadashvili claimed.

The Georgian Dream authorities last year announced the halt in EU integration, pointing to alleged blackmail from the bloc over the Russia-Ukraine war. The move came following the allegations of alleged electoral fraud in October 26 general elections.