Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced that further reactions from the United States of America are anticipated regarding the adoption of Georgia's law on so-called Foreign Agents.
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At the Brookings Institute discussion, a question was posed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
"You have rightly pointed out the significant changes in the region. We have both real concerns and real opportunities. You mentioned the 'Foreign Agents' law in Georgia. Not only have we and many other countries expressed our deep concern about this, especially regarding its adoption, but we have also taken steps to express that concern. I think you will probably see more. I believe this clearly contradicts the European direction of Georgia, which the majority of Georgians clearly want.
Regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan, there is an extraordinary opportunity, the potential to realize a peace agreement between the countries that will end decades of conflict and actually create a huge opportunity for economic ties, economic growth, and connections between East and West, North and South in the region. Azerbaijan plays a decisive role here. We have invested heavily in our own diplomacy to help Azerbaijan and Armenia reach a peace agreement. We did this in very close cooperation and coordination with the European Union. I believe this is achievable and represents the interests of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the wider region.
So, we are ready for challenges, including those in Georgia. We are also very focused on some opportunities, and this opportunity is real," said Antony Blinken.
Recently, relations between Georgia and the USA have become particularly strained. After the Georgian Dream government adopted the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents despite criticism from its partners and dispersed the protests, the US began a comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation, which also includes a review of financial aid. Additionally, the State Department announced the first part of visa sanctions. These sanctions affect two to three dozen people, including members of Georgian Dream, parliamentarians, law enforcement agency employees, and private individuals, who will be banned from entering US territory. According to reports, among those sanctioned are Georgian Dream MP Dimitri Samkharadze and Director of the Department of Special Tasks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Zviad Kharazishvili.
