Reuters: US businessman lobbying for Georgia’s ruling party
According to Reuters, American businessman Steve Nikandros, who has business interests in Georgia, has in recent weeks personally urged US lawmakers not to approve the MEGOBARI Act. The bill proposes sanctions against members of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The agency adds that Nikandros’s lobbying on behalf of Georgia’s anti-Western government has irritated Republican Congressman Joe Wilson.
“A bipartisan group is trying to pass a bill aimed at punishing the increasingly authoritarian and pro-Moscow government in Tbilisi. The legislation, initiated by Wilson, would bar US authorities from officially recognizing the Georgian government.
Steve Nikandros, CEO of Texas energy company TXN Energy, sent a letter to some Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, thanking them for opposing the bill,” Reuters reports.
The agency reviewed the letter dated 30 September, in which Nikandros urges Congress members to take additional steps to block the final approval of the initiative. After committee consideration, the bill now awaits a vote on the full House floor.
In the letter, Nikandros argues that the Georgian Dream party was democratically elected and warns that passing the bill would push Georgia closer to Russia, harming American business interests, including his own company, which has operated in Georgia since 1997.
“For companies like ours, which employ people and invest in Georgia, stable bilateral relations are critically important,” the letter states.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s ambassador to the US, Tamar Taliashvili, said that while Nikandros is an “innovator,” the Georgian government itself has no lobbying ties in the United States.
Notably, according to Open Secrets, Steve Nikandros has donated more than $200,000 to Republican congressmen and affiliated political committees and organizations.
Earlier, Nikandros served as CEO of the American energy company Frontera, which since 1997—during Eduard Shevardnadze’s presidency—owned the XII licensing block in Kakheti, where it conducted oil exploration and extraction.
Reuters also highlights that following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, trade between Russia and Georgia grew significantly, with Georgia becoming one of the key channels for Russian exports. The agency notes that the US has frequently criticised Georgian Dream for self-isolation and for strengthening ties with Moscow, Tehran, and Beijing.
Background
On 6 May 2025, the US House of Representatives voted to pass the MEGOBARI Act, a bill that envisions sanctions against members of the Georgian government and other individuals deemed a threat to the country’s stability, security and democracy. The act also calls for a comprehensive reassessment of US–Georgia relations, including all aid programmes.
On 6 September, The Hill, citing its sources, reported that at the end of August, Senator Markwayne Mullin successfully persuaded Senate Majority Leader John Thune to remove the MEGOBARI Act from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) package. Earlier this year, Mullin had also blocked a request for the bill’s expedited passage.
The publication notes that Mullin’s stance appears unusual, as in 2020 he had sharply criticised the Georgian Dream government for aligning itself with what he called “America’s hostile rivals and enemies”, arguing that this made it increasingly difficult and dangerous for US companies to operate in the country.
Businessman backs Georgian Dream
