U.S. Says Continues To Support Georgia’s Transatlantic Aspirations, But Reforms Needed

Washington D.C./11.03.23/Turan:  The White House on Friday said it continues to support Georgia’s transatlantic aspirations, but reforms are still needed to be able to develop them, and Washington will help with them, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

President Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Friday morning met with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to discuss recent developments in the country following this week's unrest over a proposed 'foreign agents ' bill that drew controversy among non-governmental organizations and activists.

"They discussed our shared strong concerns that this legislation would have a chilling effect and hinder the important efforts of hundreds of Georgians, Georgian NGOs that work to improve the community,”  National Security Council's John Kirby told reporters on a conference call. Washington was pleased to see the legislation withdrawn in the Georgia legislature, per Kirby.

Following the Sullivan-Zourabichvili meeting, the White House said in a statement that the pair underlined their countries’ common interest in Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration. They also discussed the sanctions introduced by Western countries against Russia over the special military operation in Ukraine. The national security adviser warned that Georgia should "avoid becoming a conduit for evasion or backfilling,” per the White House.

Alex Raufoglu