We hope that the government of Georgia will return to the path that its people so clearly want, - US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at the press conference.
Matthew Miller explained the US State Department and Treasury Department's motivation for imposing sanctions.
"The United States of America is still deeply concerned about the anti-democratic actions carried out by the government of Georgia, which do not comply with the norms of EU and NATO membership. In addition to passing the the so-called "Foreign Influence Law", we also saw how the Georgian government used violence against Georgian citizens who protested the said law. Today, the US imposes sanctions on two Georgian government officials and two leaders of a violent extremist group, and imposes visa restrictions on more than 60 Georgians for their participation in human rights violations, corruption and other anti-democratic actions," said Matthew Miller.
According to Matthew Miller, these actions are the result of the ongoing comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation.
"These actions are the result of our ongoing comprehensive review of existing bilateral cooperation, due to anti-democratic actions in Georgia, as well as false statements by high-ranking officials of the Georgian government, which are contrary to the spirit of our decades-long relationship with the Georgian government," said Matthew Miller.
According to him, the government of Georgia can return to its Euro-Atlantic trajectory by holding free and fair elections, recalling and canceling anti-democratic legislation and showing significant progress in fulfilling the recommendations of reforms necessary for joining the European Union.
"For the last 32 years, the USA has been the biggest supporter of Georgia's democratic and economic development. Our support aims to make Georgia stronger, more successful and become a country that can protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope that the government of Georgia will return to the path that its people so clearly want," said Matthew Miller.
For information, today, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Georgian government officials and two private individuals in connection with the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators and political opponents. The head of the Department of Special Tasks, Zviad Kharazishvili, "Khareba" and his deputy Miller Lagazauri, the founder of "Alt-Info" Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department. Also, the US State Department has imposed visa restrictions against more than 60 Georgians and their family members who participated in digging the roots of democracy in Georgia.
