POLITICO: US to consider major military, trade package to Georgia if anti-democratic drift reversed

2024/05/56798-1716277500.jpg
Read: 587     11:00     21 Май 2024    

POLITICO — Washington could sign off on a sweeping package of economic and security support for Georgia if its government abandons its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric and stops backsliding on human rights.

Under the terms of a draft bill to be introduced in Congress this week by South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson and seen by POLITICO, the U.S. would start talks with the South Caucasus country to open “a robust preferential trade regime,” provided key political criteria were met.

Along with improved access to American markets, the bill calls for liberalization of the visa regime for Georgian citizens.

It would also mandate officials to develop a military support package for Georgia including the “provision of security and defense equipment ideally suited for territorial defense against Russian aggression and concomitant training, maintenance, and operations support elements.”

However, the program would only be activated if the U.S. confirms that “Georgia has shown significant and sustained progress towards reinvigorating its democracy, evidenced at minimum by substantially fair and free elections and a balanced pre-election environment.





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POLITICO: US to consider major military, trade package to Georgia if anti-democratic drift reversed

2024/05/56798-1716277500.jpg
Read: 588     11:00     21 Май 2024    

POLITICO — Washington could sign off on a sweeping package of economic and security support for Georgia if its government abandons its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric and stops backsliding on human rights.

Under the terms of a draft bill to be introduced in Congress this week by South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson and seen by POLITICO, the U.S. would start talks with the South Caucasus country to open “a robust preferential trade regime,” provided key political criteria were met.

Along with improved access to American markets, the bill calls for liberalization of the visa regime for Georgian citizens.

It would also mandate officials to develop a military support package for Georgia including the “provision of security and defense equipment ideally suited for territorial defense against Russian aggression and concomitant training, maintenance, and operations support elements.”

However, the program would only be activated if the U.S. confirms that “Georgia has shown significant and sustained progress towards reinvigorating its democracy, evidenced at minimum by substantially fair and free elections and a balanced pre-election environment.





Tags: