The U.S. has suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, criticizing the ruling party for making the country “more vulnerable” to Russia.
The decision follows widespread protests after Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced the halt of EU membership talks for four years, a move seen as distancing the country from Europe and NATO. This came after the Georgian Dream party, which has ties to Moscow, secured a majority in the controversial parliamentary elections.
Opposition groups allege Russian interference in the elections, which the Kremlin denies, while the European Parliament called the elections “neither free nor fair” and demanded a re-run. Kobakhidze shot back, accusing the European Parliament of blackmail against Georgia.
Georgia, located south of Russia, applied for EU membership in 2022 and gained candidate status in 2023. However, tensions with the EU grew when EU leaders, frustrated with the Georgian government’s shift away from European values, halted the country’s accession process. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that Georgia’s decision to freeze its EU bid “made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin.”
Georgia’s pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, who opposes the ruling party, has condemned the current parliament as illegitimate and pledged to remain in office after her term ends. However, Kobakhidze insisted she must leave when her term expires this month, and that the U.S. suspension is temporary, expecting talks with the incoming U.S. administration in January.
As protests rage across Georgia, with police using tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds, the U.S. condemned the excessive force against peaceful protesters. Miller reiterated U.S. calls for Georgia to return to its Euro-Atlantic path, investigate election irregularities, and repeal laws that restrict freedoms.
