Georgian Dream responded to the draft law to be submitted to the US Congress, which promises a comprehensive package of economic and security support for Georgia and liberalization of the visa regime, if the government abandons its growing anti-Western rhetoric and stops its backsliding in terms of human rights.
The political council of Georgian Dream claims that this draft law has not yet been adopted in America and the prospect of its adoption is unclear. In Dream, they continue to propagate that since 2020, non-governmental organizations have tried to organize a revolution in Georgia twice, thus justifying the need to adopt the “Russian law.”
In the ruling party, the draft law, which includes sanctions, is called “insulting blackmail,” and they say that the recovery of Georgian-American relations depends entirely on the right actions of the American side, not “promises with a vague perspective”, but “showing respect for the Georgian people” is necessary.
“Unfortunately, a number of American politicians and officials are making mistake after mistake and are still talking to Georgia in the language of blackmail” – they say in Georgian Dream.
“The Government of Georgia is not playing. We are passing the NGO Transparency Act because we see no other way to protect the country. Since 2020, NGOs have already tried to organize a revolution in this country twice, and we will not wait for a third attempt.
“For us, this law is not a subject of trade, but an effective means of protecting the sovereignty of Georgia, and we cannot trade the sovereignty of the country under any circumstances. We cannot leave unjust attacks on Georgia unanswered either. This is our responsibility to the Georgian people, who gave us the mandate to manage the country,” the party said.
In Georgian Dream, they say that a dignified attitude towards Georgia should have been expressed in a completely different way. In the conditions of such an attitude, according to the statement of the ruling party, the US would prove that it is a strategic partner of Georgia:
“In particular, without any conditions, it would grant visa liberalization to the citizens of Georgia and sign a free trade agreement. As it is clear from the bill that the US could have done this before, however, it showed an indifferent attitude towards Georgia and the Georgian people.
“The US has been putting money into the Georgian economy, which it last did in 2009-11, when Saakashvili’s regime was on the brink of economic collapse.
“The US ensured a change in the behavior of the NGOs, in particular, the end of their policy of non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Georgian government and the setting aside of revolutionary plans.
“The use of the EU topic as a tool of constant blackmail against Georgia should be stopped, negotiations with Georgia should be opened by the end of the year, thus restoring justice to Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Georgian Dream representatives have said.
Georgian Dream states that if the US does all this, in this case, the “Russian law” will no longer be needed, and they will no longer have to answer to “unfair statements”:
“However, if NGOs do not stop their attempts at revolution, do not stop attacking the Orthodox Church, supporting religious extremism, encouraging religious-based political intervention, LGBT-propaganda, drug propaganda, trying to undermine state institutions and creating obstacles for economic projects, and the attacks from American politicians and officials on Georgia will continue, in this case we will need a law on transparency to repel those attacks. Accordingly, today, there is no alternative to the adoption of the law on the transparency of NGOs,” the party said.
Georgian Dream claims that the partners of Georgia can qualitatively rearrange relations in one year at most, and they say that “if they realize this, the relations will be sorted out very quickly”, but if they continue to act with the same approach towards Georgia, the ruling party says that they will also harm the interests of Georgia as well as the US.
“Everything is in the hands of partners, and Georgia, as a small country, cannot unilaterally change anything. Therefore, we should remain hopeful that rational thought will prevail in America, thus both countries will only benefit,” they said.
For the record, the US is considering transferring an important military and trade package to Georgia if the anti-democratic course changes.
