We are ready to restore relations, I hope the government will take important steps to return to the original course – we will always be a friend and partner of the people of Georgia, – US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan told the media.
Dunnigan spoke about the statement of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, according to which the US is suspending 95 million US dollars in aid to the Georgian government. The ambassador explained what caused the mentioned actions on the part of the US and said that the US is very worried about some anti-democratic actions of the Georgian government, such as the law on “foreign influence”, as well as false statements about the US, negative rhetoric about the US and the West.
At the same time, the ambassador spoke about the support that the US has been providing to Georgia for 33 years of partnership.”Let me begin by reiterating the absolute support of the United States government and the American people for the people of Georgia. We have been partners for 33 years. We have been working together for 33 years. We fought together. Together we helped build schools and clinics. We did this together to promote the path of Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and Euro-Atlantic integration. We will continue to do this for the people of Georgia.
You asked about the Secretary of State’s announcement yesterday that we are suspending aid to the Government of Georgia. Why did we do this? We have talked many times about some of the actions of the Georgian government that we are very concerned about – some anti-democratic actions, such as the law on foreign influence, as well as other actions and false statements about the US, negative rhetoric about the United States and the West.
We have repeatedly expressed our concern and asked the government to reconsider its actions. We also said we will review our bilateral relationship. And yesterday, Secretary Blinken announced that as a result of this review, he is suspending some of our aid that goes directly to the government. We continue to support students, teachers, farmers, small business owners, civic activists and civil society organizations. Our assistance to the Defense Forces of Georgia will also continue. As the Secretary of State said, everything is under consideration. The European Union stated that these actions and disinformation led to the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process. We want to continue working together to help realize the aspirations of the Georgian people to become a member of the family of Western democracies.We are ready to restore this relationship. I hope the government will take important steps to return to the original course. I want to repeat that we will always be a friend and partner of the people of Georgia”, the ambassador added.
