U.S. to offer Georgia aid in exchange for anti-Kremlin stance

The United States is ready to provide economic and military support to Georgia, with the condition that Tbilisi refrains from an anti-Western course in its foreign policy. A special bill is expected to be presented in the U.S. Congress, Politico reported, citing Congressman Joe Wilson.

The United States wants to encourage the Georgian government to withdraw from plans to adopt a controversial bill on so-called foreign agents. Many in Georgian society and many experts consider the Kremlin to be the inspiration for the Bill.

Wilson revealed in a conversation with Politico that if this condition is met and the Georgian authorities guarantee the conduct of free and fair elections in the country, the U.S. could begin talks with this state on providing it with substantial trade preferences and military assistance, as well as offering visa liberalization for Georgian citizens.

We could provide Georgia with weapons and military equipment "ideally suited for defending territory against (potential) Russian aggression," added the congressman representing South Carolina in the House of Representatives. U.S. support would also include, among other things, the participation of Georgians in training and maintenance of the donated equipment, he said.

Politico reported that the proposed U.S. bill also plans to impose individual sanctions on politicians from the ruling Georgian Dream party and other government officials involved in adopting the foreign agents bill.

Earlier, the White House and the U.S. State Department warned the government in Tbilisi that pushing through the unpopular bill could lead to Washington imposing restrictions on Georgia and force the United States to "fundamentally realign" its relations with this state, Politico recalled.

For over a month, there have been mass protests against the foreign agents bill in Georgia. Critics argue that it will allow the authorities to destroy civil society and introduce an authoritarian model of governance in the Russian style. They argue that, in practice, this will also mean a return to the Russian sphere of influence, as it is already evident that the bill's adoption is causing an unprecedented crisis in Tbilisi's relations with the West.

The Georgian authorities argue they are solely interested in "transparency and protecting sovereignty." They call their critics the "global war party" and accused "external forces" of organizing the protests.

The new law stipulates that legal entities and media receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad must register and report and are required to register as foreign influence agents.

On Saturday, President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the bill. However, the ruling party has enough votes to override the presidential veto.