Canada will review relations with Georgia, and Sweden will stop cooperation with the government of Tbilisi. The decision was made due to violations in parliamentary elections and oppression of civil liberties in the country.
This is stated in the statement of the Ministry of International Affairs of Canada and the comments of the representative of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Dagens Nyheter.
Ottawa, as a partner and friend of Georgia, took into account the official results of the parliamentary elections on October 26, 2024, declared by the Central Election Commission. However, Canada is concerned about voter intimidation, vote-buying and other irregularities on election day.
Canada, together with other G7 states and European partners, will review diplomatic relations with the Georgian government. At the same time, Canada remains open to cooperation with Georgia and calls on the Georgian authorities to respect the rights and safety of people during peaceful protests.
The freezing of cooperation with the authorities of Georgia, in turn, was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Benjamin Duza. The decision was made even before the vote on October 26 due to Tbilisiʼs long-standing problems with democracy. In particular, it is about the adoption of the law on "foreign agents".
Sweden will establish relations with Georgia if Georgia moves towards the European Union. However, according to Duza, this is an unlikely scenario, provided that "Georgian Dream" remains in power.
Stockholmʼs aid to Georgia amounts to more than €12 million per year. In 2024, about €1.6 million was redistributed to public organizations in the country. The goal is to help them work, despite the restrictions of Tbilisi legislation.
Elections in Georgia
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 26. According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling party "Georgian Dream" won with 54.08%, while the main opposition parties together scored about 37.58%. The exit polls of the opposition channels showed that the opposition won 52% of the votes, and "Georgian Dream" 40.9%. Georgian opposition parties do not recognize the election results, as does the president of the country Salome Zurabishvili.
International observers of the parliamentary elections in Georgia recorded a number of violations during voting: cases of violence against the opposition, intimidation and bribery of voters, multiple voting and removal of observers from polling stations.
- In the evening of October 28, an action against the results of the parliamentary elections began in Tbilisi. The opposition demands a re-vote.
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Author: Anastasiia Mohylevets