Senator Shaheen, Congressman Turner Talk U.S.-Georgia Relations, Elections, GD Disinformation
On August 11, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH 10th District) held a press conference to discuss the key messages they brought to Georgia, the impressions they gained after meeting with Georgian government officials, and to reaffirm the unwavering support of the United States for Georgia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
In her opening remarks, Senator Jeanne Shaheen emphasized that the bipartisan, bicameral visit was intended to show the Georgian people U.S. support for their goal of Euro-Atlantic integration, their democratic aspirations, and their territorial integrity and sovereignty. She noted: “We are here because we are committed to Georgia, to the partnership that the United States and Georgia have had for over 30 years; to continue the country moving in a democratic direction.”
Senator Shaheen also underscored the delegations’ concerns about the upcoming elections, stressing that they must be conducted in a free and fair manner. She noted that these concerns were also raised during the meeting with the Prime Minister, along with the issue of the Georgian government spreading “incorrect” information that the U.S. was trying to organize a coup in Georgia, citing this “incorrect” information as one of the reasons why the U.S. had to “pause” relations.
For his part, Congressman Mike Turner emphasized that the visit was planned only in Georgia, the U.S. delegation didn’t tour the region, on the contrary, they flew directly to Georgia for two days with the aim “to highlight our both commitment to the Georgian people, our desire to help build democratic institutions and ensure a democratic and European integration for Georgia”. He stressed that authoritarian nations are becoming more aggressive toward democracies. He noted that Russia’s occupation of Georgian regions is an example of that, and that’s why the United States is particularly committed to supporting Georgia’s territorial integrity “and why it’s been such a strong partnership.”
“We are concerned, both of us, about the relationship between Georgia and the United States. It’s why we’re here to voice our concern and to also to offer our commitment and assistance to ensure that there’s a strong relationship between Georgia and the United States. We are certainly disappointed in the current state of the relationship between Georgia and the United States, and we look forward to a time when it is improving,” – added Congressman Turner.
Impressions after the meeting with PM Kobakhidze
Senator Shaheen noted that although the Georgian government hints at the need to restart and improve U.S.-Georgian relations, there is no suggestions on their part of how to to that. She stated: “I was disappointed that the Prime Minister did not make any suggestions about what he and his administration were willing to do to improve the relationship with the United States. And we talked about a number of concerns that we have. One I mentioned earlier the suggestion that the United States has a plot to overthrow the Georgian government, that just absolutely is not true. So, I would hope that the Prime Minister and his government will look at steps that they can take in the future to continue to improve the relationship that we have had with Georgia for over 30 years, which has been a strong relationship.”
She noted that after meeting with Georgian students and entrepreneurs who benefit from U.S.-funded programs, she felt that the Georgian people are “very appreciative” for this support and this type of relationship with the United States. However, this was not the impression she’s gotten from the Prime Minister: “…it’s disappointing to me to see that the Prime Minister is not interested or doesn’t appear to be interested in continuing that relationship,” – noted Senator Shaheen.
The same remarks were echoed by Congressman Turner, who added: “[The Prime Minister] did not indicate that he had any responsibility for the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Georgia or any plan of actions or efforts that the Prime Minister or the government intended to undertake, in fact, further indicating that it was merely the responsibility of the United States as to the bilateral relationship between Georgia. During our meeting, the rhetoric continued and many of the problems that we listened to, I don’t think are accurate reflection of either the United States’ position or the relationship between the United States and Georgia.”
Congressman Turner also stressed that during the meeting there was “no evidence of an effort to reset the relationship,” and “no steps were outlined or taken by the Prime Minister as to how that process would begin and there was also no articulation of policies that would undertake a reset.”
He said: “We’re here obviously to emphasize the strong relationship between the United States and Georgia, the strong support for democracy, for Georgia, for its European integration, for the Georgian people. And certainly, we would have welcomed some embrace of our effort to come here to begin that dialogue.”
Future U.S. steps in support of the Georgian People
When asked what future actions the U.S. can take in support of the Georgian people and whether those actions could include sanctioning GD founder and honorary chairman Ivanishvili, Senator Shaheen noted that unfortunately, he declined to meet with the U.S. visitors. She noted that since Ivanishvili is considered by many Georgians as one of “primary decision-makers in the country,” it was disappointing to be denied a meeting with him.
She went on to talk about the decisions that the U.S. has already made and because of the law, expressing her inability to understand why this law would even be passed. She said she does not understand why ” government would pass a law that mirrors what Russia” in opposition to the will of its citizens, especially as Russia is the country that occupies 20% of Georgia’s territories. Senator Shaheen added: “We pointed out that there would be ramifications in the relationship if it moved forward, and that’s exactly what’s happened.”
Congressman Turner further noted: “Obviously, the goal of the United States is to strengthen democratic institutions in Georgia as we continue this strong relationship as a bilateral relationship of democracies. The United States has currently suspended some portions of funding to Georgia pending a review of the government’s continued commitment to strengthening democratic institutions. We’re concerned that the government may be taking actions that actually weaken the democratic institutions in the future, which would inhibit their ability to move forward with European integration.”
Will U.S. policy toward Georgia change depending on the outcome of the U.S. elections?
The US legislators were asked whether the GD narrative that Donald Trump would support the current Georgian government and its actions if he won the US elections was true, and what a Trump or Harris victory would mean for Georgia. Congressman Turner responded that the direct purpose of the bipartisan visit was to demonstrate that “policies of the United States with respect to Georgia and a commitment to its democratic institutions is both bicameral and bipartisan.”
“You only have to look to the past policies of the Biden administration and the Trump administration to see that there would be no change in that both policies of both governments were the same. And that is in building democratic institutions in Georgia [and] in support of the European integration,” – noted Congressman Turner, adding that while the GD criticizes Biden’s administration, “the Prime Minister [also] seems incredibly fixated on his government or even himself being criticized. And we tried to give him some focus that in a democratic process, the open dialogue of debate inherently includes criticism…”
Senator Shaheen echoed Congressman Turner’s point, stating: “…The policy has been consistent in support of the democratic aspirations of the people of Georgia, regardless of whether it’s been a Republican or a Democratic President. I don’t expect that to change. And in fact, there is legislation in both the Senate and the House that reinforces and confirms some of the actions of the U.S. government and continues to support the foreign policy towards Georgia.”
Georgian Parliamentary Elections
Commenting on the upcoming October 26 elections Senator Shaheen said that they are one of the reasons the visit took place, which serves “to reinforce our commitment to democratic free and fair election, to reinforce our commitment to the government, to ensure that there are international observers, that there are domestic observers who are able to participate in the election, that everything is done to ensure that it is an election that reflects the will of the people of Georgia.”
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