Laura Cooper: “I never imagined Georgia would cooperate so closely with Russia”
Laura Cooper about Georgia and Russia
Former US deputy assistant secretary of defense (2017–2025) Laura Cooper said in an interview with Independence Avenue Media that the United States continues to support the Georgian people and Georgia’s sovereignty. She stressed that Washington must not give Georgians the impression that it has turned its back on them.
Laura Cooper: “I think it is very important that we support Georgia’s sovereignty. This matters for the Georgian people, who are now in a very difficult situation. They need to know that the United States still supports their sovereignty.
It is also an important signal to Russia. Russia must not assume that seizing other countries’ territories and declaring them part of Russia is the right path. If we make concessions on Georgia’s sovereignty, it will affect how Russia perceives our stance on other countries, particularly Ukraine and Moldova. That is why it is important that we continue to support Georgia’s sovereignty.”
“I believe the decision to hold [US–Georgian] military exercises was absolutely the right one. Right now we are in a very difficult situation with Georgia, as the country is retreating from all the reforms aimed at strengthening itself, deepening its ties with the West and advancing towards the EU. Instead, the current government is cooperating with Russia in ways and to a degree I never could have imagined.
We know very well how important the army is to the Georgian people. The armed forces are the soul and heart of the Georgian nation. That is why I think this is how we should continue working with Georgia — training them so they can legitimately defend their country’s interests, even now, as we urge the government to return to the West and resume reforms.”
Laura Cooper about Georgia and Russia
