Pentagon on cancelled joint exercises and Georgian authorities' accusations towards the US
Pentagon and Georgian Dream
Pentagon spokesperson major general Pat Ryder told Voice of America that the US values its longstanding bilateral relationship with Georgia and continues dialogue. The decision to postpone joint military exercises was prompted by the Georgian government’s rhetoric suggesting the US intentionally seeks to escalate tensions in the region.
What did Ryder say?
“Unfortunately, the decision to postpone and cancel these exercises was made due to very concerning rhetoric suggesting statements that the United States intentionally seeks to escalate tensions in the region, which is completely false.
It is Russia that is attempting to escalate tensions in this conflict, such as in Ukraine. Therefore, I emphasize again, we will continue to seek avenues for bilateral engagement with Georgia. We value our partnership. [Georgia] plays an important role in the region, and we will continue to pay special attention to this.
We see Russia employing hybrid warfare tactics in many places — ceasefire violations, conflict verging on war. We are aware of this. We will continue working with partners in the region to mitigate these threats.
Ultimately, we seek a safe, stable, and free Europe. As seen at the NATO Summit, allies have come together for our collective defense to find ways to deter the Russian threat and future aggression.”
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On July 6th, it was announced that the USA indefinitely postponed the joint American-Georgian military exercises “Noble Partner,” which have been held in Georgia since 2016. This year, they were scheduled from July 25th to August 6th.
According to an official statement from the US Department of Defense, this decision was made as part of a reassessment of relations between the two countries and was prompted by “false accusations by the Georgian government against the US and other Western entities.”
The false accusations refer to the Georgian government’s claim that the US pressured Georgia to open a second front (against Russia) and attempted twice to organize a revolution in Georgia.
