Maka Bochorishvili, Deputy of Georgian Dream and Chairperson of the Parliament's European Integration Committee says that Georgia intends to ensure exclusively positive developments in its relations with the USA in the near future. Bochorishvili made this statement ahead of a meeting with the US Deputy Secretary of State.
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"Our main message is, of course, that the strategic partnership with the United States of America is very important for Georgia. This partnership has a deep history. It is crucial that we take steps in the near future to ensure that this relationship experiences solely positive dynamics," Bochorishvili informed reporters.
Uzra Zeia, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, is currently in Tbilisi. Prior to her meeting with the ruling party, she met with representatives of non-governmental organizations at the US Embassy. According to Uzra Zeia, civil society and human rights defenders "play a crucial role in supporting Georgia's democratic and Euro-Atlantic path."
According to the State Department, during her meetings in Georgia, Uzra Zeia will highlight "serious US concerns about the law on 'foreign influence' and other illiberal laws, as well as the harmful rhetoric from the Georgian government that threatens Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations." Additionally, Uzra Zeia "notes that the government's undemocratic conduct and misinformation about the United States have harmed" the longstanding US-Georgia relationship.
Following the adoption of the Russian-style law on so-called Foreign Agents by the Georgian Dream government, despite criticism from its partners and the dispersal of protests, the US initiated a comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation. The State Department imposed visa sanctions on approximately 30 individuals - members of Georgian Dream, MPs, law enforcement officers, and private individuals (along with their immediate family members) - who are "responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia."
As part of the relationship review, the United States Department of Defense has indefinitely postponed the military exercise Noble Partner, which has been conducted in Georgia since 2016.
