U.S. halts $95M aid to Georgia over anti-democratic actions
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States is suspending $95 million in financial aid to the Georgian government. This decision followed a review of bilateral cooperation prompted by the "anti-democratic" actions of the authorities in Tbilisi.
7:27 PM EDT, July 31, 2024
Secretary Blinken expressed his concerns: "The Georgian government's anti-democratic actions and false statements are incompatible with membership norms in the EU and NATO."
The U.S. suspends aid to Georgia
Despite suspending the $95 million financial aid, Washington does not intend to stop assisting Georgia completely. Blinken emphasized that the United States will continue supporting initiatives that benefit the Georgian people directly.
Georgia is set to implement a new law on August 1 mandating the registration of so-called foreign agents. Critics fear that this regulation could enable the Georgian authorities to destroy civil society and introduce an authoritarian governance model similar to Russia's. They argue that passing this law signifies a retreat from Western democratic standards.
The Georgian authorities defend the law, claiming their goal is "transparency and the defense of sovereignty." They describe their critics as "the global war party" and accused "external forces" of organizing protests.
President Salome Zurabishvili, non-governmental organizations, and opposition parties have challenged the law on foreign agents in the Constitutional Court. The Chairman of the Tribunal announced that these complaints would be consolidated and reviewed jointly within a "reasonable timeframe."
