Gia Kharchilava, the opposition mayor of Tsalenjikha, stated that the municipality lost European grant funding due to the Russian law. He also noted that this issue is affecting other municipalities, although it is being concealed.
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“What does our relationship with the West offer us, and what does it take away? The municipality received a grant, but because the government stubbornly pushed through this law, the grant was canceled. The tourism strategy in Tsalenjikha has been scrapped. We included Europe, we included our friends, we included financing, and everything that happens here is declared by us, but other municipalities do not mention it. The European funding grant to Tsalenjikha City Hall was canceled because the Russian law remains in effect in Georgia,” said Kharchilava at today's briefing.
We are discussing the grant opportunity provided to Georgian municipalities under the Creative Compass project funded by the European Union. Tamar Belkania, deputy mayor and member of the Lelo party, noted that they received the termination letter today.
“We were informed that due to the political situation in the country and the government's attitude towards the European Union, all grants given to the municipality as aid have been stopped. This means that the country is beginning to face the consequences of the government’s actions. The development of municipalities has been halted at this stage,” said Belkania.
Despite thousands of protests and international criticism, the parliamentary majority of Georgian Dream overcame the president's veto on May 28 and adopted a law restricting independent media and non-governmental organizations with the support of 84 deputies. On July 9, the European Union ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, stated that the process of Georgia's accession to the European Union has been halted due to the leaders' decision.
Due to the adoption of the Russian law, the European Union suspended support amounting to 30 million euros from the European Peace Fund for Georgia. Additionally, the Danish Ministry of Defense has decided to suspend four years of military cooperation with Georgia and is conducting a comprehensive review of government support.
The United States has also begun reviewing its relations with Georgia. On July 31, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US has suspended over $95 million in aid directly benefiting the Georgian government. This amount includes funding for the Lugar Laboratory and the National Center for Disease Control.
Furthermore, on July 5, the US Department of Defense decided to postpone the military exercise Noble Partner 2024, which has been hosted by Georgia since 2016, indefinitely. According to the Pentagon, “the decision is due to the Georgian government's false accusations against the United States and other Western entities, to pressure Georgia to open a second front against Russia to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, and of participating in two coup attempts against the ruling party.”
