Georgia in U.S. House Bill on Foreign Relations

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a comprehensive legislation aimed at enhancing the U.S. foreign policy efforts of the Department of State with one of the sections of the bill dealing with Georgia.

In that section of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011, the bill calls on the Secretary of State to submit a report to appropriate congressional committees no later than December 31 of each of the two fiscal years on the programs, projects and activities carried out in Georgia in frames of the U.S. foreign assistance after the August war.

The Secretary of State’s report, according to the bill, should also include “an analysis of the implementation of the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership.”

Georgian Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, accompanied by Interior Minister, Vano Merabishvili, will visit the United States later this month. Grigol Vashadze said that implementation of the strategic charter would top the agenda of his planned meeting with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in Washington.

The section of the House bill, which goes under the title “Democracy in Georgia” reads: “It is the sense of Congress that the development and consolidation of effective democratic governance in Georgia, including free and fair electoral processes, respect for human rights and the rule of law, an independent media, an independent judiciary, a vibrant civil society, as well as transparency and accountability of the executive branch and legislative process, is critically important to Georgia’s integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, stability in the Caucasus region, and United States national security.”

The bill, which has yet to be approved by the Senate, also says that the report of Secretary of State on activities in Georgia should include information and description of programs funded by the U.S. in “humanitarian aid, reconstruction of infrastructure, economic development, political and democratic development and broadcasting.” 

The report, it says, should also include evaluation of the impact of such programs, including “their contribution to the consolidation of democracy in Georgia and efforts by the Government of Georgia to improve democratic governance.”

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