“The Georgian Government continues to move in a deeply troubling direction, one that moves the country further away from its Euro-Atlantic trajectory,” said Matthew Miller, US Department of State Spokesperson at the press briefing in response to a question posed by Voice of America.
Miller reiterated the concerns raised by the law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” in the US government.
“The Georgian Government continues to move in a deeply troubling direction, one that moves the country further away from its Euro-Atlantic trajectory, which the Georgian people, we know, overwhelmingly desire. We are concerned about the enforcement of this legislation for those entities that did not voluntarily register, including critical civic organizations and independent media.
“As part of our comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation between the United States and Georgia that the Secretary announced, we have implemented visa restrictions on dozens of Georgian individuals and their family members, including members of the Georgian Dream Party, members of parliament, law enforcement, and private citizens, and we have paused $95 million in assistance that directly benefited the Government of Georgia. That review remains ongoing. I would not rule out further actions,” the Spokesperson stated.
Since September 3, the Ministry of Justice has the right to forcefully register organizations in the register provided for by the transparency law, to fine them, or start “monitoring” said companies.
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