Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US State Department, said at the press briefing on October 3 that the allegations around USAID made by Georgian authorities are false.

“Our embassy in Tbilisi put out a very clear statement about this, and – which I’ll just reiterate here, in that allegations against one of our assistance projects are false and are – fundamentally mischaracterize the goals of our assistance to Georgia. As always, our assistance is transparent. And we will continue to support Georgian organizations that work to secure fundamental rights provided by the Georgian constitution and Georgia’s international commitments and obligations,” he said.

Deputy Spokesperson also expressed his support for Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The Russian-occupied regions are integral parts of Georgia, and we fully support Georgia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized border,” he stated.

The spokesperson called on the Georgian authorities to implement reforms to obtain the EU candidate status.

“We continue to partner with the people of Georgia as they pursue a democratic, prosperous, peaceful, and Euro-Atlantic future. And we urge the Georgian Government to implement the necessary reforms to acquire EU candidate status, and we stand ready to assist the government in doing so,” he added.