Kremlin-Inspired Law Will 'Undermine' U.S.-Georgia Relationship, State Dept Warns
Kremlin-Inspired Law Will 'Undermine' U.S.-Georgia Relationship, State Dept Warns
The United States on Monday once again warned Georgia that it’s risking relations with the U.S. and the European Union by pressing ahead with a “foreign agent” law that has sparked massive protests, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"We are going to keep pressing our case, which is we believe that the law that they are considering would put Georgia on a precarious trajectory. It would jeopardize Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path and undermine the U.S.-Georgia relationship, and we will continue to make that clear, and they will make their own decisions," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.
The ruling Georgian Dream party’s attempts to push Kremlin-inspired legislation and anti-Western rhetoric has also prompted calls for sanctions among the Georgian-American community as they held a protest in front of the State Department over the weekend.
When asked whether the Biden administration had been considering any measure against Georgia's pro-Russian rulers, Miller said: "I’m just not going to make any sanctions announcements, whether that relates to what we might do or what we are considering, as is typically our practice here."
Last week, a bipartisan group of 14 U.S. senators sent a letter to Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze warning him that if the legislation becomes law, they would be compelled to encourage a shift in U.S. policy toward Georgia and push for cutting off direct government funding and expanding visa restrictions.
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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