US suspends strategic partnership with Georgia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (photo: Getty Images)
The United States suspends its strategic partnership with Georgia in response to the government's refusal to negotiate accession to the European Union and the violent suppression of demonstrators, states the US State Department.
The statement says that the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to suspend the EU accession process contradicts the promise to the Georgian people. Thus, the government has made the country more vulnerable to the Kremlin.
In addition, the United States condemns the violent dispersal of demonstrators in Tbilisi and calls on all parties to ensure that the protests are peaceful. The actions of the Georgian Dream have violated the basic principles of the strategic partnership with the United States, based on shared values and commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and so on.
“As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism,” the State Department said.
Georgia's refusal to negotiate accession to the EU
This week, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced his refusal to start negotiations until 2028. “We also refuse any budget grants from the European Union until the end of 2028,” he said.
After that, protests in Georgia began with renewed vigor. The day before, security forces spent seven hours dispersing the rally in Tbilisi, and there were reports of injured demonstrators. A number of ambassadors and other officials expressed their disagreement with the new course and resigned.
Today, Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili said that she does not intend to give up her mandate. The presidential election is scheduled for mid-December, and it will be the first time that the parliament will hold an election. She considers the current convocation illegitimate, and the opposition does not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections and is boycotting its work.
