UK Parliament Releases Report on Georgia, According to JAMnews

UK Parliament Issues Scathing Report on Democratic Backsliding in Georgia

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK’s House of Commons has released a comprehensive report highlighting Georgia as a critical battleground in the geopolitical struggle between Western democratic influences and Russian interests in the Black Sea region.

The report, titled “Disinformation Diplomacy: How Malign Actors Are Seeking to Undermine Democracy,” delivers a sharp critique of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, accusing it of deliberately hindering the country’s European Union integration process, restricting opposition activities, and implementing stricter protest regulations while amplifying disinformation campaigns.

Committee members drew explicit parallels between Georgian Dream’s governance approach and Russian authoritarian tactics, expressing alarm at the trajectory of Georgia’s democratic institutions under the party’s twelve-year rule since 2012.

The document frames Georgia as a nation caught between competing visions—the UK and European Union supporting Georgian society’s aspirations for liberal democracy and eventual NATO and EU membership, while Russia actively works to obstruct these Western integration efforts.

According to the parliamentary assessment, Georgian Dream has systematically consolidated power through several concerning strategies, including opposition suppression, halting EU accession talks, awarding key infrastructure contracts to Chinese companies, and propagating narratives that favor Moscow while undermining Western partnerships.

Georgia’s current president, Salome Zourabichvili, is cited in the report expressing concern that the government is emulating Russian and Belarusian practices by restricting civil society organizations, NGOs, and independent media outlets. The controversial “foreign agents” law, requiring organizations receiving foreign funding to register under this designation, represents a particular point of contention.

The report gives significant attention to Bidzina Ivanishvili, described as Georgia’s “informal ruler.” The billionaire businessman accumulated his fortune in Russia during the 1990s in banking, metallurgy, and telecommunications before returning to Georgia and establishing powerful influence over the country’s political landscape.

Parliamentary investigators noted that Ivanishvili has consistently echoed Kremlin narratives, including claims that Western powers seek to use Georgia as a “second front” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict through what he terms a “global war party”—rhetoric that directly aligns with Moscow’s messaging.

The document references actions by international bodies against Ivanishvili, including the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control’s December 2024 accusation that he undermines Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations in ways that serve Russian interests. The European Parliament similarly adopted a resolution in February 2025 calling for sanctions and asset freezes targeting Ivanishvili and his associates.

When questioned by the committee, UK Minister Stephen Doughty stated that supporting Georgia’s independent media and civil society remains a key British foreign policy priority, with London continuing to provide assistance to relevant organizations. However, President Zourabichvili expressed skepticism, arguing that practical Western support remains insufficient and lacks a coherent strategy to counter Russian disinformation and influence operations.

The committee’s conclusions express “deep concern” over Georgia’s democratic deterioration, warning that continued trends and growing Russian influence could push the country toward a Belarus-style authoritarian model. To prevent this outcome, they endorsed existing UK sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations during protests and recommended additional targeted measures against individuals supporting the “foreign agents” legislation and those spreading disinformation.

The parliamentary assessment represents one of the strongest international rebukes of Georgia’s current political direction, highlighting growing Western concerns about the country’s democratic future and Russia’s expanding influence in a strategically important Black Sea nation.