On January 9, the Hudson Institute hosted an event entitled “Georgia on Your Mind” with the participation of Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and dedicated to the ongoing developments in Georgia and the ways out of the deepening political crisis in the country.

The speakers at the event were U.S. Representative, Chair of the Helsinki Commission Joe Wilson, former Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker, McCain Institute Senior Director of Global Democracy Programs Laura Thornton, Center on Europe and Eurasia Senior Fellow Luke Coffey, and Hudson Institute President and CEO John P. Walters.

President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the event online. In her speech, Zurabishvili discussed Georgia’s ongoing political crisis and the actions of the ruling Georgian Dream party that have caused it. She emphasized Georgia’s strategic importance to the West and called on the US to continue to support the Georgian people.

Zurabishvili stressed that the developments in Georgia represent an attempt by Russia to use a new hybrid strategy to bring Georgia back into its sphere of influence through various means, including its “friends in the ruling party” as well as propaganda, finance, sanctions evasion, and importantly – elections. She said that Russia has made similar attempts in other countries, including Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, and may try to do more in the future, which is why it is important to support Georgia now.

Zurabishvili also said that Georgia is of geopolitical interest to the West because, it was once a stronghold in the region of democracy, warning that Russia and its allies, including China, which “has many interests linked to the ruling party,” could take over. She also recalled the visit of GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to Iran and his “siding with the terrorist organization.” Zurabishvili also emphasized the importance of the Black Sea, warning that it is also in Russia’s interest to control it. In addition, she said, Armenia’s European future depends on the future of Georgia itself.

“Many things are at stake in Georgia. My message to you is that you have to hold on,” Zurabishvili told the Western leaders. “Non-recognition of the non-legitimate government, parliament, and de facto president is essential,” she added. Zurabishvili went on to say that GD officials and their “first circle,” by which she meant privileged businessmen, should be sanctioned.

President Zurabishvili reiterated the need for new elections in Georgia, which he said the West should help the nation achieve.

She called to work together to exert various kinds of pressure “on the existing de facto authorities so that they accept to save themselves, partially, and to save the country from instability and to allow new elections that this country deserves and that its partners also deserve,” President Zurabishvili concluded.

U.S. Representative Joe Wilson spoke about the past relationship between the U.S. and Georgia, which he described as “extremely deep and strong.” “The Ivanishvili regime is such a threat to the United States and to freedom around the world. Bidzina Ivanishvili, is actually the would-be-dictator of Georgia, is a puppet of the war criminal Putin, the Chinese Communist Party, and the regime in Tehran,” Rep. Wilson said, adding, “He has fought to bring Georgia under the influence of the axis of invaders.” Joe Wilson noted that the “puppet PM” [Irakli Kobakhidze] “went to meet with murderous regime in Tehran, at the same time as the regime was planning the assassination of Donald Trump.” Wilson also noted that the Anaklia port development contract was transferred by the Georgian government to the Chinese consortium, instead of the U.S. and Western partners.

As for the newly-elect U.S. President, he said, “I believe that Donald Trump supports freedom. I know he does,” adding, “The policies of Donald Trump were very, very clear of standing for freedom and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe.” Rep. Wilson dismissed the GD’s high hopes for Trump’s election, as if the Republican president would favor their regime, saying, “The Ivanishvili regime has been pushing the lie that Trump will let them off the hook with their collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party and the Iranian regime, but that’s not true at all.” He also said he expects sanctions to increase under the Trump administration, noting the new State Secretary Marco Rubio, would favor this course of action as well.

“It’s truly inspiring to see that the civilized world supports the people of Georgia, Wilson said”, citing among others, the letter by “Friends of Georgia” calling to reject the Ivanishvili regime, imposing sanctions against it, and calling for new elections in Georgia. In this context, Rep. Joe Wilson also spoke about the bi-partisan MEGOBARI Act and “Georgian Nightmare Non-recognition Act”, initiated in the U.S. Congress. “Georgia is strategically located as a Black Sea nation and we must let it slip into the orbit of the Chinese Communist Party or the regime in Tehran,” he said.

Speeches by President Salome Zurabishvili and Rep. Joe Wilson were followed by a panel discussion with other speakers at the event.

Laura Thornton, Senior Director of Global Democracy Programs, spoke about the alleged violations of the October 26 elections, and the importance of not recognizing them as legitimate, as well as the importance of placing Georgia within a broader illiberal and autocratic trend worldwide. In this context, she spoke about the close cooperation of the ruling GD with, what she said, are authoritarian states in Europe, as well as the region, particularly Iran and Azerbaijan. She highlighted the strong civil society in Georgia, saying that the strength of the ongoing protests is that they aren’t organized by any particular political force, but are decentralized and characterized by the involvement of civil society. She stressed that the US should continue to support Georgian civil society and continue to oppose the GD government.

Kurt Volker, former Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and U.S. Ambassador to NATO, spoke about the importance of Georgia to the U.S. and outlined three main points why the U.S. should support democracy in Georgia: 1. Georgia’s geopolitical importance. “Georgia is either a gateway for Central Asia, the countries in the Caucasus to Europe and back and it creates access to energy resources to minerals, to metals, to trade, to ideas, to development of countries […] or it’s a barrier between Russia and Iran and sawing up Georgia as well and it cuts off Central Asia. And more than that, it becomes an avenue for the exercise of influence by America’s adversaries in that entire region,” he said. 2. Georgia is important in the context of pushing back the network of America’s adversaries in the region 3. Because of shared values, the defeat of democratic Georgia could be seen as a defeat of the U.S. in the region, further diminishing its power and image in the world.

Luke Coffey, Senior Fellow at the Center on Europe and Eurasia, added that it is also a matter of “respect” to support the pro-Western Georgian people while responding to GD’s actions, which have included years of anti-American statements and disrespect for U.S. ambassadors, think thanks, Western politicians, etc. As a consequence, he said, “Americans have lost all respect in Georgia […] it is time that we take step to not only help the Georgian people, but to re-exert our influence in the country and get that respect back that we deserve,” he said.

Luke Coffey stressed that Georgia’s past and future are European. He added that Georgia is important to the US interests noting: “Every single oil and gas pipeline, every single rail network, the main motorway East-West Caucasus, every major fiber-optic cable that does not go through Iran or Russia, has to go through Georgia if we want access to it”, noting also the air corridor that the U.S. and NATO Allies have relied on so much during the 20 years of engagement in Afghanistan.