If the veto of the President of Georgia is overcome, it will have very clear consequences for the relationship between Georgia and the United States, – said Matthew Miller, the press-speaker of the State Department of the United States of America.
Speaking to “Voice of America”, the press-speaker of the diplomatic agency says that one of the main reasons for Washington’s concern about the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law is the friendship that has been connecting the US and Georgia for decades.
“We are incredibly concerned about this law. Part of the reason for this is the excellent friendship that exists between America and Georgia. If you look back over the past 30 years, our two countries, two peoples had a great connection. We fully supported Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We fully supported further integration with Europe, steps taken to expand democracy. That’s why when we see a step back like this, when we see a law passed that is quite clearly based on [existing] laws in Russia, which we’ve seen supporting actions from countries in Russia’s orbit, it worries us very seriously. Not only the United States and not only the members of the European community, but primarily the Georgian people are seriously concerned. You will see this if you look at the flow of opposition and protest in the streets of Georgia… Without a doubt, if Georgia takes this step, if the veto of the president is defeated, it will have very clear consequences for the relationship between Georgia and the US. This will have an impact on the relationship between other European states and Georgia, and ultimately on Georgia’s European aspirations,” said Miller.
For the record, the State Department is implementing a new visa restriction policy for Georgia that will apply to individuals responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members.
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