'You won’t earn democratic mandate by jailing or censoring opponents' — US State Department on Georgia

US State Department on Georgia

According to globalnews.ge, the US State Department has commented on the political situation in Georgia for the first time since Donald Trump came to power.

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The sanctions were imposed against the judges amid reported involvement in corruption and abuse of public office to serve the interests of the Georgian Dream party.

A globalnews.ge journalist asked US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce several questions about the situation in the country:

“Have you had any contact with the ruling party in Georgia? And if so, can you share what the interaction currently looks like? As you know, the situation in Georgia is very difficult — the Georgian people and the international community do not recognise the results of the [parliamentary] elections. Peaceful protesters have been detained, and an independent journalist is currently in prison. Given these circumstances, what is your view on the current situation in Georgia?”

The State Department representative replied:

“We will continue to assess our policy toward Georgia with the goal of advancing American interests. The United States has clearly outlined steps the Georgian government can take to demonstrate its seriousness about improving relations with the US.

With regard to the Georgian Dream government’s ongoing anti-democratic actions, as Vice President Vance stated in Munich, a democratic mandate cannot be earned by censoring or imprisoning opponents — nor by ignoring the will of a core electorate regarding who should be part of our shared society. The United States has been a partner of Georgia and the Georgian people for 33 years, and throughout that time has firmly supported Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” the State Department said in a statement published by the outlet.

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“Despite massive resistance from Georgian people, Georgian Dream continues to integrate with the world’s autocrats.”

Notably, this marks the first comment by the new US administration regarding Georgia.

Earlier, on 24 November 2024, the US State Department published a statement on its website announcing that Washington was ending its strategic partnership with Georgia due to the Georgian Dream party’s anti-democratic actions.