17 US diplomats urge sanctions on ruling Georgian Dream party
US diplomats call for anti-Georgian Dream sanctions
Seventeen former U.S. diplomats and security experts issued a joint statement condemning the anti-Western policies of the Georgian Dream party and the violence against peaceful protesters in Georgia.
The authors of the statement urge the United States to declare the “one-party Georgian parliament and its appointed government” illegitimate and impose sanctions on those responsible for authoritarian practices in the country.
“We, Friends of Georgia to include former U.S. diplomats who have served in and/or worked on Georgian-U.S. relations, condemn in the strongest terms the violence unleashed on peaceful protesters in Tbilisi by the Georgian government.
We also have trouble understanding the decision by Georgian authorities, led by Georgian Dream de facto leader Bidzina Ivanishvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, to abort negotiations with the European Union regarding the country’s accession aspirations. It was that decision, praised by Russian leader Vladimir Putin within minutes of the announcement, that triggered the latest demonstrations by tens of thousands of Georgians.
This is clearly a critical moment in Georgia’s history with implications for the South Caucasus and beyond. Georgia as a beacon of freedom, and reform is at stake. Given the long U.S. support for the people of Georgia as they moved toward democracy, it is long past time to act,” the statement reads.
The diplomats suggest that the U.S. should call on Georgia’s armed forces and security services to uphold the country’s Constitution, the foundation of Georgian democracy, and refuse orders incompatible with it, such as suppressing peaceful demonstrations.
They also recommend imposing direct sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, honorary chairman and founder of the Georgian Dream party, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and “other government and parliamentary members involved in similar authoritarian actions,” as well as on police and military personnel who participate in the dispersal of peaceful protests or were involved in the falsification of parliamentary elections.
