US implements visa restrictions, eyes Georgia cooperation review
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasizes that Washington will embark on a thorough assessment of bilateral cooperation with Georgia.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards a plane at the US Naval Support Activity base, after the G7 foreign ministers summit on Capri Island in Naples, on April 19, 2024. (AFP)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday that the United States plans to implement fresh visa restrictions and reassess its relationship with Georgia.
Blinken stated that the new visa policy "will apply to individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members." Additionally, Washington will commence a thorough examination of the bilateral cooperation between the United States and Georgia, as per Blinken's statement.
Dive deeper
The Georgian legislation mandates that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media entities receiving over 20 percent of their funding from abroad must register as entities serving the interests of a foreign power.
The ruling Georgian Dream party asserts its commitment to EU integration and stresses that the law aims to enhance transparency regarding NGO funding.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in #Tbilisi to protest a new proposed bill that seeks to limit foreign influence in Georgian politics through NGOs.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 8, 2023
So what's happening in #Georgia? pic.twitter.com/OX340Orl63
Blinken stated that individuals who undermine democratic processes or institutions in Georgia, particularly during the period leading up to, during, and after the October 2024 elections, may be deemed ineligible for US visas. This could result in them and their immediate family being barred from traveling to the United States.
Furthermore, Blinken said, "Georgia's leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nation's democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations."
"As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgia's actions in deciding our own," he added.
The big picture
Blinken's statement comes one day after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that a European commissioner warned him of facing a fate similar to that of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot last week.
In a statement released by the Georgian government press service on Facebook, Kobakhidze mentioned that while authorities in his country are accustomed to threats from foreign states, this instance is especially troubling.
"Even after years of blackmail, the threat, voiced during a phone conversation with one of the European commissioners was alarming. In particular, in a conversation with me, the European official listed several measures that Western politicians may take after the veto on the Bill On Transparency (of Foreign Influence) is lifted, and when listing these measures, he said – you saw what happened to Fico, you have to be very careful," Kobakhidze said.
The prime minister emphasized that referencing the attack on Fico serves to alert the public to the presence of "an extremely dangerous force" aiming to instigate turmoil within Georgia.
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