III 

Calendar No. 94 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 176 

Urging all parties in Georgia to seek prompt implementation of the agreement 

signed on April 19, 2021, and reaffirming the support of the Senate 

for Georgia, the territorial integrity of Georgia, and the aspirations 

of Georgians to join the Euro-Atlantic community. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 22, 2021 

Mr. JOHNSON (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. RISCH, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

and Mr. BARRASSO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 24, 2021 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Urging all parties in Georgia to seek prompt implementation 

of the agreement signed on April 19, 2021, and reaffirming the support of the Senate for Georgia, the territorial 

integrity of Georgia, and the aspirations of Georgians 

to join the Euro-Atlantic community. 

Whereas, on April 9, 1991, Georgia declared independence 

from the Soviet Union, and on March 24, 1992, the 


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•SRES 176 RS 

United States and Georgia established formal diplomatic 

relations; 

Whereas, since 1993, the territorial integrity of Georgia has 

been reaffirmed by the international community and numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions; 

Whereas, at the 2008 Summit in Bucharest, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recognized the aspirations of Georgia to join NATO and agreed that Georgia 

would become a member of the Alliance; 

Whereas, on January 9, 2009, the United States and Georgia 

signed the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic 

Partnership, affirming the close relationship between the 

United States and Georgia based on the shared principles 

of democracy, free markets, defense and security cooperation, and cultural exchanges; 

Whereas Georgia has made significant contributions to the 

wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the largest 

troop contributor among NATO partners to the NATOled Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan; 

Whereas the United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and condemns the continued occupation 

by the Russian Federation of the Georgian regions of 

South Ossetia and Abkhazia; 

Whereas, in March 2020, the United States and several embassies of European countries in Georgia brokered an 

agreement among the major political parties in Georgia, 

which included changes to the electoral system and called 

on all sides to address the appearance of political interference in the judicial system; 


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•SRES 176 RS 

Whereas, on June 29, 2020, the Parliament of Georgia 

adopted constitutional amendments, establishing a more 

proportional electoral system and promoting greater political pluralism in future parliaments; 

Whereas the United States Embassy in Tbilisi applauded 

Georgia’s electoral reforms and urged the Parliament of 

Georgia to pass additional legislation that fully incorporates all of the recommendations of the Office for 

Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ 

ODIHR) and urged Georgian authorities to effectively 

implement such legislation; 

Whereas, on October 31, 2020, Georgia held its first parliamentary elections since adopting the electoral reforms 

in June 2020; 

Whereas the OSCE/ODIHR limited election observation team 

detailed a number of flaws and partially or completely 

unimplemented OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, but 

also concluded that the first round of the October 2020 

parliamentary elections in Georgia was ‘‘competitive and, 

overall, fundamental freedoms were respected’’; 

Whereas the United States Embassy in Tbilisi shared the 

OSCE/ODIHR’s assessment of the first round of elections and stressed the importance of fully addressing the 

deficiencies noted by the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election 

Observation Mission Preliminary Report before the second round of elections in November 2020; 

Whereas the Georgian opposition refused to recognize the legitimacy of the October 2020 elections, boycotted the second round of elections, called for public voter intimidaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR176.RS SR176

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•SRES 176 RS 

tion of anyone voting in the second round of elections, 

and declined to take their seats in parliament; 

Whereas, on February 23, 2021, Georgian authorities entered 

the headquarters of United National Movement (UNM) 

and arrested its leader Nikanor Melia on a bail violation; 

Whereas, on March 23, 2021, the Subcommittee on Europe 

and Regional Security Cooperation of the Committee on 

Foreign Relations of the Senate held a hearing on Georgia to examine the political situation and to highlight the 

actions that the Government of Georgia and the opposition could take in order to resolve the impasse and move 

the country forward; 

Whereas, in that hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary of 

State George Kent testified that the Russian Federation 

uses its illegal occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, 

‘‘economic leverage, cyber attacks, and disinformation to 

try to force Georgia to abandon its Euro-Atlantic aspirations and to sow division and distrust’’; 

Whereas, at the same hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary 

Kent testified, ‘‘Georgia has real work to do in strengthening its democracy . . . Georgia’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law is a fundamental element of 

our strategic relationship, as well as the precondition for 

the country’s further progress.’’; and 

Whereas international mediation efforts to resolve the political impasse in Georgia led to an agreement signed on 

April 19, 2021, by representatives of several political parties and individual Members of Parliament: Now, therefore, be it 

Whereas, on April 9, 1991, Georgia declared independence 

from the Soviet Union, and on March 24, 1992, the United 


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•SRES 176 RS 

States and Georgia established formal diplomatic relations; 

Whereas, since 1993, the territorial integrity of Georgia has 

been reaffirmed by the international community and numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions; 

Whereas, at the 2008 Summit in Bucharest, the North Atlantic 

Treaty Organization (NATO) recognized the aspirations of 

Georgia to join NATO and agreed that Georgia would become a member of the Alliance; 

Whereas, on January 9, 2009, the United States and Georgia 

signed the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic 

Partnership, affirming the close relationship between the 

United States and Georgia based on the shared principles 

of democracy, free markets, defense and security cooperation, and cultural exchanges; 

Whereas Georgia has made significant contributions to the 

wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was the largest troop 

contributor among NATO partners to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan; 

Whereas the United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders and condemns the continued occupation by 

the Russian Federation of the Georgian regions of South 

Ossetia and Abkhazia; 

Whereas, in March 2020, the United States and several embassies of European countries in Georgia brokered an agreement among the major political parties in Georgia, which 

included changes to the electoral system and called on all 

sides to address the appearance of political interference in 

the judicial system; 


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•SRES 176 RS 

Whereas, on June 29, 2020, the Parliament of Georgia adopted 

constitutional amendments, establishing a more proportional electoral system and promoting greater political 

pluralism in future parliaments; 

Whereas the United States Embassy in Tbilisi applauded 

Georgia’s electoral reforms and urged the Parliament of 

Georgia to pass additional legislation that fully incorporates all of the recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization 

for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) 

and urged Georgian authorities to effectively implement 

such legislation; 

Whereas, on October 31, 2020, Georgia held its first parliamentary elections since adopting the electoral reforms in June 

2020; 

Whereas the OSCE/ODIHR limited election observation team 

detailed a number of flaws and partially or completely 

unimplemented OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, but also 

concluded that the first round of the October 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia was ‘‘competitive and, 

overall, fundamental freedoms were respected’’; 

Whereas the United States Embassy in Tbilisi shared the 

OSCE/ODIHR’s assessment of the first round of elections 

and stressed the importance of fully addressing the deficiencies noted by the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission Preliminary Report before the second 

round of elections in November 2020; 

Whereas the Georgian opposition refused to recognize the legitimacy of the October 2020 elections, boycotted the second 

round of elections, called for public voter intimidation of 


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•SRES 176 RS 

anyone voting in the second round of elections, and declined to take their seats in parliament; 

Whereas, on February 23, 2021, Georgian authorities entered 

the headquarters of the United National Movement (UNM) 

and arrested its leader Nikanor Melia on a bail violation; 

Whereas, on March 23, 2021, the Subcommittee on Europe and 

Regional Security Cooperation of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate held a hearing on Georgia to 

examine the political situation and to highlight the actions 

that the Government of Georgia and the opposition could 

take in order to resolve the impasse and move the country 

forward; 

Whereas, in that hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 

George Kent testified that the Russian Federation uses its 

illegal occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, ‘‘economic leverage, cyber attacks, and disinformation to try to 

force Georgia to abandon its Euro-Atlantic aspirations 

and to sow division and distrust’’; 

Whereas, at the same hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary 

Kent testified, ‘‘Georgia has real work to do in strengthening its democracy . . . Georgia’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law is a fundamental element of our 

strategic relationship, as well as the precondition for the 

country’s further progress.’’; 

Whereas international mediation efforts to resolve the political 

impasse in Georgia led to an agreement signed on April 

19, 2021, by representatives of several political parties and 

individual Members of Parliament; and 

Whereas Georgian authorities pardoned opposition figure 

Giorgi Rurua, and Nikanor Melia was released on bail 


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•SRES 176 RS 

while awaiting final passage of an amnesty bill, in line 

with the April 19 agreement: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on Georgian Dream, United National 

3 Movement, and the other parties elected to the Par4 liament of Georgia to fully implement the com5 promise proposed by European Council President 

6 Michel on April 18, 2021, and signed on April 19, 

7 2021; 

8 (2) calls on all elected Members of Parliament 

9 to take their seats in parliament and begin work 

10 without further delay on the challenges facing Geor11 gia, including consequences of the COVID–19 pan12 demic, a weakened economy, and challenging re13 gional dynamics; 

14 (3) calls on the Government of Georgia to insti15 tute systemic reforms, developed through an inclu16 sive and transparent consultation process with stake17 holders, to ensure that the judicial system is impar18 tial and independent and not used for political or 

19 partisan ends, including by fully adopting and imple20 menting the recommendations of the European Com21 mission for Democracy through Law (commonly 

22 known as the ‘‘Venice Commission’’) and other ex23 perts; 


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•SRES 176 RS 

1 (4) calls on the Government of Georgia to insti2 tute inclusively and transparently developed systemic 

3 electoral reforms to address the underlying causes of 

4 the political impasse and avoid a recurrence of such 

5 a crisis, including by fully adopting and imple6 menting the recommendations of the Office for 

7 Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the 

8 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Eu9 rope (OSCE/ODIHR); 

10 (5) recognizes that the political situation in 

11 Georgia has been exacerbated by the efforts of the 

12 Russian Federation to sow chaos throughout Geor13 gia, including the illegally occupied territories of 

14 Abkhazia and South Ossetia; 

15 (6) expresses concern that impediments to 

16 strengthening Georgia’s democratic institutions and 

17 processes will slow its progress toward achieving its 

18 aspiration of Euro-Atlantic integration and strength19 ening its economy and could result in conditions 

20 placed on United States assistance to Georgia; and 

21 (7) emphasizes that the United States supports 

22 a more robust democracy in Georgia, with governing 

23 institutions that demonstrate integrity, checks and 

24 balances, transparency, the capacity to counter Rus25 sian and other malign influence, and the ability to 


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1 achieve the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the people 

2 of Georgia. 

3 That the Senate— 

4 (1) welcomes the decision by most political par5 ties in Georgia to sign the agreement mediated under 

6 the auspices of the European Union and the United 

7 States on April 19, 2021; 

8 (2) calls on the United National Movement and 

9 other remaining opposition parties to sign the April 

10 19 agreement immediately and on all parties to co11 operate in good faith with other parties to fully exe12 cute the letter and spirit of the agreement; 

13 (3) calls on all parties and elected Members of 

14 Parliament to begin work without further delay on 

15 the challenges facing Georgia, including consequences 

16 of the COVID–19 pandemic, a weakened economy, 

17 further meaningful democratic reforms, and chal18 lenging regional dynamics; 

19 (4) calls on the Government of Georgia, headed 

20 by a coalition led by Georgian Dream, to institute 

21 systemic reforms, developed through an inclusive and 

22 transparent consultation process with stakeholders, to 

23 ensure that the judicial system is impartial, merit24 based, and independent and not used for political or 

25 partisan ends, including by fully adopting and imVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\SR176.RS SR176

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•SRES 176 RS 

1 plementing the recommendations of the European 

2 Commission for Democracy through Law (commonly 

3 known as the ‘‘Venice Commission’’) and other ex4 perts; 

5 (5) calls on the Government of Georgia to insti6 tute inclusively and transparently developed systemic 

7 electoral reforms to address the underlying causes of 

8 the political impasse and avoid a recurrence of such 

9 a crisis, including by fully adopting and imple10 menting the recommendations of the Office for Demo11 cratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organi12 zation for Security and Co-operation in Europe 

13 (OSCE/ODIHR); 

14 (6) emphasizes the importance of seeing those 

15 electoral reforms fully implemented ahead of the 

16 planned October 2021 municipal elections, which 

17 must be conducted in a way that constitutes a step 

18 forward in Georgia’s democratic progress, and should 

19 be overseen by strong international election observa20 tion missions; 

21 (7) recognizes that the political situation in 

22 Georgia has been exacerbated by the efforts of the Rus23 sian Federation to sow chaos throughout Georgia, in24 cluding the illegally occupied territories of Abkhazia 

25 and South Ossetia; 


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1 (8) expresses concern that impediments to 

2 strengthening Georgia’s democratic institutions and 

3 processes will slow its progress toward achieving its 

4 aspiration of Euro-Atlantic integration and strength5 ening its economy and could result in conditions 

6 placed on United States assistance to Georgia; 

7 (9) expresses support for the Government of the 

8 United States to seek all means at its disposal to in9 crease trade and investment between the United 

10 States and Georgia and improve trade and invest11 ment in the broader region of the Caucasus, on the 

12 condition that all components of the April 19 agree13 ment are met in letter and spirit; and 

14 (10) emphasizes that the United States supports 

15 a more robust democracy in Georgia, with governing 

16 institutions that demonstrate integrity, profes17 sionalism, checks and balances, equal treatment under 

18 the law, transparency, the capacity to counter Rus19 sian and other malign influence, and the ability to 

20 achieve the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the people of 

21 Georgia. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A resolution urging 

all remaining parties in Georgia to sign, and seek prompt 

implementation of, the compromise political agreement 

signed on April 19, 2021, and reaffirming the support of 

the Senate for Georgia, the territorial integrity of GeorVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR176.RS SR176

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gia, and the aspirations of Georgians to join the EuroAtlantic community.’’. 


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Calendar No. 94 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 176 

RESOLUTION 

Urging all parties in Georgia to seek prompt impleEuro-Atlantic community. and the aspirations of Georgians to join the for Georgia, the territorial integrity of Georgia, 2021, and reaffirming the support of the Senate mentation of the agreement signed on April 19, 

JUNE 24, 2021 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 


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