On July 11, the U.S. Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Georgia sanctions legislation known as the MEGOBARI Act with 46 votes in favor and six against, indicating strong bipartisan support, according to reporting by Alex Raufoglu, from the White House pool. The full house vote is expected in the coming days.
For the first time since the 2008 Bucharest Summit Decision, the NATO Washington Summit Declaration, adopted by the heads of state of the allied countries on July 11, fails to reiterate the formula that “Georgia will become a member of the Alliance with the Membership Action Plan as an integral part of the process.” This follows the dramatic deterioration of relations with Georgia’s Western partners during the past two years.
The Georgian officials, including Defense Minister Irakli Chikovani, Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and Georgia’s Ambassador to NATO Viktor Dolidze downplayed the omission of reference to Georgia’s NATO membership prospect. “The anniversary summit differs from other summits. It is always more loaded with global political messages, so not everything can fit into this document,” said Minister Darchiashvili.
Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili attended the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. where he participated in Partner Foreign Minister’s meeting and held a couple of bilateral meetings. At the NATO Summit, Minister Darchiashvili was told to change the course, reconsider the Law on Foreign Agents, and respect the rights of peaceful protesters.
While in Washington, Minister Darchiashvili also spoke to the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, John Bass, who has previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia. In his social media post, Ambassador Bass pointedly spoke about U.S. support for “Georgian people’s right to choose their own future,” including through free and fair elections. In a thinly veiled rebuke to the government, he added: “Georgia’s European future depends on its people’s ability to speak freely, assemble peacefully, and elect their leaders.”
According to the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), France has decided to halt all budgetary assistance to Georgia. “Due to the well-known decisions taken by the Georgian government, we have decided to temporarily suspend our direct aid to the Georgian budget and instead strengthen the assistance to civil society and the media,” reported the GPB, citing the French Ambassador to Georgia, Sheraz Gasri.
The United States Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya is visiting Georgia, where she has met with the ruling Georgian Dream women leaders and urged them to stop anti-democratic actions as well as anti-U.S. disinformation. The U.S. strongly supports the Georgian peoples’ Euro-Atlantic aspirations, but GD’s actions have derailed progress toward this goal,” wrote Under Secretary Zeya in her post on X. She also met women leaders from opposition parties and President Salome Zurabishvili.
President Salome Zurabishvili inaugurated a new public movement, “Vote for Europe,” bringing civil society representatives together to “protect Georgia’s European future, independence, and freedom.” The movement said it plans to reach Georgian citizens countrywide and the diaspora abroad with the “100 Days to Victory” campaign starting on July 18 and ending on election day, October 26. The campaign aims to mobilize pro-Western voters.
Opposition MP and “Citizens” party leader Aleko Elisashvili, who was severely beaten by police in front of the Government office during the protests against foreign agents’ law, has been summoned to the court and tried for disobedience to police orders and hooliganism. Elisashvili left the trial in protest, describing it as an “absurd show,” further saying that more than two months after the incident nobody was identified and punished for beating him.
