Bipartisan U.S. Lawmakers Push For Further Sanctions, Non-Recognition Of Georgian Dream Government

A bipartisan group of U.S.lawmakers, led by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, the Chairman of U.S. Helsinki Commission, on Friday announced the reintroduction of the MEGOBARI Act, as well as their intention to introduce “Georgia Nightmare Non-Recognition Act.” Both bills will push for sanctions against Georgian Dream officials while the latter will also prohibit the recognition of the Russian-backed government's legitimacy, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"War criminal Vladimir Putin has occupied a portion of Georgia, and now he wants the rest of Georgia," Wilson told a small group of reporters in his office Friday morning when responding to TURAN's questions about the timing of their initiatives as well as the Georgian Dream's narrative to dismiss Western concerns. "...There's just no excuse for anybody in Georgia not to understand the threat of what war criminal Putin is doing,” he added.

According to him, the MEGOBARI Act is a vital legislation aimed to bolster democratic practices, human rights, and the rule of law in the Republic of Georgia, reaffirming the U.S.' commitment to supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration and countering the influence of authoritarian regimes, particularly Russia.

"In the Georgian language, ‘megobari’ means ‘friend,’ and this bill reflects the powerful friendship and partnership between the U.S. and the Georgian people," he said, "It is our first priority to ensure the Georgian Nightmare comes to an end, and the Axis of Aggressors stop terrorizing the people of Georgia," he emphasized.

Democrat Congressman Steve Cohen, the Helsinki Commission's ranking member, who is expected to introduce legislation that would bar the U.S. from recognizing the Georgian Dream as legitimate government, also agrees saying that Bijdina Ivanishvili “has turned the Georgia Dream into the Georgia nightmare."

“Corrupt Ivanishvili and his Georgian Nightmare party are turning Georgia into a Russian colony. Regime thugs are cracking down and imprisoning protestors, who demand free and fair elections as independent observers call the late October elections fundamentally flawed," Cohen said.

He went on to add that "the Georgian people demand a return to a transatlantic path and we need to help them. The MEGOBARI Act provides that help, mandating sanctions on Putin’s pawns and promising a deepened relationship should Georgian democracy and sovereignty be restored”

The MEGOBARI mandates a comprehensive sanctions review of all Georgian Dream officials. Those found to have engaged in corruption or undermining Georgian sovereignty will be sanctioned. It also provides for a certification mechanism that mandates a deeper relationship between the U.S. Georgia once Georgia’s democracy and sovereignty have been restored. The bill also requires a full report of Russian and Chinese intelligence assets in Georgia and Russian-CCP cooperation to undermine Georgian democracy and sovereignty.

As for the Non-Recognition Act, the authors explained that Georgia under Ivanishvili will become a pariah state once the Congress acts legislatively.

There's a precedent to it, the lawmakers went on to conclude. The U.S. never recognized the Soviet annexation of the Baltic Republics after the Congress pushed legislatively. Similarly, the U.S. Congress had passed the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act a few years ago. And most recently the U.S. Congress pushed “Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023,” banning the recognition of Syria under al-Assad.