US postpones military drills with Georgia due to strained relations

5 Jul 2024 22:52

The US will suspend a large-scale military exercise with Georgia, after the latter accused it of a meddling in its affairs.

Members from Georgia, the United Kingdom, and the United States Special Forces receive a brief on training that was completed during Noble Partner 22 at Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 7, 2022. (US Special Operations Command Europe)

The United States is indefinitely postponing large-scale military exercises with Georgia, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

Pentagon said that it "will indefinitely postpone this iteration of exercise NOBLE PARTNER in Georgia," which was scheduled for July 25 to August 6 this year.

The exercise has been held on six different occasions and aims to enhance the interoperability of Georgian, American, and other participating nations' militaries.

However, this year's iteration of the exercise was canceled by the United States due to "the Georgian government's false accusations" that Washington was pressuring Tbilisi "to open a second front against Russia to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, and of participating in two coup attempts against the ruling party."

In the context of strained relations between the two governments, the Pentagon said that the US government "determined that this is an inappropriate time to hold a large-scale military exercise in Georgia."

Georgia's Defense Ministry responded to the Pentagon's announcement by saying that the decision was "regrettable", affirming, however, that other forms of security and defense cooperation with the US were continuing.

Georgia's foreign agents law agitates US State Department

Tensions began to surface between the US and Georgia after the latter passed a law that mandates that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media entities receiving over 20% of their funding from abroad must register as entities serving the interests of a foreign power.

The ruling Georgian Dream party asserted its commitment to EU integration and stressed that the law aims to enhance transparency regarding NGO funding. The decision has aggravated relations between Georgia on one side and the European Union (EU) and the US on the other.

In the latest decision against Georgia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US 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.

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.