US suspends financial aid to Georgia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the suspension of more than $95 million in financial aid to the Georgian government.
The decision was taken following Washington's decision to 'review' bilateral cooperation as Georgian authorities adopted the 'Transparency of Foreign Influence' law.
According to the Reuters agency, Blinken said in a statement that "The anti-democratic actions and false statements of the Georgian government are incompatible with the norms of European Union and NATO membership."
Blinken added that the Washington administration has promised to continue supporting programs and activities that are 'for the benefit of the Georgian people'.
The independent media that is at stake here is organizations interested in the development of the economy and democracy.
Blinken noted that his country has provided more than $6.2 billion in aid to Tbilisi during its 32-year diplomatic relations with Georgia, and the country's authorities have used these funds to improve defense and coast guard, build schools and hospitals, and train civil servants.
On the other hand, Lado Kahadze, one of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, responded to Blinken's statement.
According to the news of 1TV, Kahadze stated that the USA, which was among the first to recognize the country's independence in 1991, is an indispensable partner for Georgia, and stated that after this date, the country tried to 'strengthen its sovereignty' and 'cope with the difficulties faced by each country while developing'.
Emphasizing that this process has started to exhibit 'slave master' syndrome' against Georgia, which is unacceptable for Tbilisi, Kahadze said, "Because even during the USSR period, we did not tolerate the master's attitude towards us and more dictatorial notes are unacceptable today."
Kahadze added that 'these sharp corners will be rasped and relations will be normalized' in relations with the US, taking into account the fact that Russia is the 'enemy of Georgia'.
In mid-May, the Georgian parliament passed the 'Transparency of Foreign Influence' law. The discussion of the law was accompanied by mass protests.
After the law was passed, U.S. officials imposed visa restrictions on some Georgian officials, canceled joint military exercises and announced that bilateral relations would be reviewed. The European Union (EU) also suspended Georgia's accession process.