“The policy of blackmail and intimidation against Georgia contradicts our strategic partnership, not to mention the spirit of partnership in general that, ideally, was supposed to develop between the two sovereign nations,” reads the statement by the Political Council of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party.
The possible enforcement of restrictions announced on behalf of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken against representatives of Georgia’s authorities is a continuation of the anti-Georgian rhetoric we have been hearing since 2012, especially clearly in 2021-2022. The policy of blackmail and intimidation against Georgia contradicts our strategic partnership, not to mention the spirit of partnership in general that, ideally, was supposed to develop between the two sovereign nations.
The statement on behalf of Antony Blinken, and blackmail through visa restrictions, is nothing but a blatant attempt to restrict Georgia’s independence and sovereignty, something that looks especially cynical in light of the fact that, two days from now, Georgia is celebrating its Independence Day.
It is an unprecedented event in the history of world politics when an official representative of one country threatens the legislator of another country just because the latter has voted in favor of a law on transparency. This events will be written in the history of world politics in gray letters.
Not to mention the fact no one has so far produced a single argument against the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, to say nothing of the fact that similar laws, though far stricter, are in force in the US itself, France, and many other countries that the US has imposed no sanctions on whatsoever. Besides, a similar bill is actively considered by the EU as well. Better still, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has stated that the law initiated by the EU will serve as the core line of her election campaign, because foreign influences and interference are key challenges facing Europe.
Equally notably, the application of sanctions to family members, including underage children, is a form of sanctions not only decisively rejected by Europe since the 1940s, but also out of use even in the Soviet Union since the 1960s. For decades, the civilized world denounces the principle of so-called subjective liability—applying sanctions to include family members—as a Fascist-Bolshevik phenomenon. And now this form of sanctions is proposed by a US official, which is beyond comprehension.
However, after the relevant forces, through one of the European Commissioners, has cited the example of the President of Slovakia in a conversation with the Prime Minister of Georgia—in this way blackmailing and threatening Georgia’s senior officials with physical elimination—talks of visa restrictions are no longer unexpected or surprising.
Also, allow us to remind you that, a few months ago, similar visa restrictions—without any substantiation or facts—were imposed on behalf of Blinken on Georgian judges. Later, however, a cynical statement followed claiming that no facts were intended to be provided, and that we had to investigate the subject matter on our own. Despite visa restrictions, the judiciary system continues its streamlined operation, and this decision has had no impact whatsoever on the independence on Georgia’s judiciary. Better still, the Strasbourg Court has repeatedly confirmed thereafter that the Georgian judiciary is making fair decisions in serving justice.
We also would like to remind you that senior officials of two EU candidate countries, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, are sanctioned by the US. Nonetheless, both continue the process of their respective integration into the EU, encountering no obstacles in this regard.
In conclusion, we would like to reiterate clearly that we do not intend to trade on our country’s sovereignty and security. No blackmail whatsoever can force us to go against our country. Under these circumstances, sanctions are only counterproductive and harm only the sanctioning party. Consequently, we urge everyone to exercise pragmatism and take effective steps toward upgrading our relations, something that serves the interests of both the Georgian and the American people.
