Blinken ordered the State Department in May to review bilateral cooperation between Washington and Tbilisi after the Georgian parliament passed a controversial “foreign agent” law that would classify civil society organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as a “qualified foreign power.” To be a foreign power. Those who follow his interests,” wrote A POLITICO.
In Russia, a strikingly similar law has been used to silence domestic dissent. Tens of thousands of Georgians protested this legislation. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, and opposition leaders were reportedly arrested and beaten.
Both the European Union and the United States condemned the adoption of the law. Washington even imposed sanctions on the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused of having close ties with the Kremlin. the Georgia In June, Allum again followed Moscow's lead when he introduced a bill against “gay propaganda.”
The anti-democratic actions and false statements of the Georgian government are inconsistent with the criteria for membership in the European Union and NATO.
– Blinken says in his statement. He added that while the United States is freezing its aid to the Georgian government, it “will continue to support programs and activities that benefit the people of Georgia by strengthening democracy, the rule of law, independent media, and economic development.”
The European Union also reacted strongly: it announced that it was halting Georgia's accession process at the beginning of the month, effectively freezing its €30 million in financial support.
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