TBILISI, September 11 – A senior Georgian official has welcomed news that a controversial U.S. bill targeting the country’s government is unlikely to pass in the Senate, while fiercely criticizing opposition figures who testified against Georgia in Washington.
The stalled MEGOBARI Act would increase U.S. sanctions on Georgia if democratic backsliding continued, while offering defense aid and possible visa liberalization if reforms were carried out. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May with 349 votes in favor and 42 against. But according to reporting by The Hill, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin has personally blocked its progress in the Senate, even persuading Majority Leader John Thune to remove the measure from a larger defense package. Mullin told the outlet he believed there was now “a better relationship” with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and said he preferred to work with Tbilisi before imposing sanctions.
Back in Georgia, Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili dismissed criticism aired during a recent Helsinki Commission hearing in Washington. He said it was “tragic” when Georgians “directly oppose their own national interests,” accusing ex-president Salome Zourabichvili and former defence minister Tina Khidasheli, who testified at the session, of speaking against the country. He also labeled U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson “a deep state agent.”
Opposition voices, meanwhile, used the Washington platform to highlight what they described as democratic backsliding in Georgia following the ruling party’s passage of a “foreign agents” law earlier this year. At the same hearing, Congressman Steve Cohen voiced regret that the Senate had blocked the bill, noting that it had strong bipartisan backing in the House and in committee. Cohen argued that the daily protests in Tbilisi showed public anger and described the ruling Georgian Dream party as having become “a Georgian nightmare.” He also warned that Russia continues to occupy part of Georgia’s territory and “would do so again if given the chance.”
Papuashvili, for his part, dismissed the sanctions package, saying its failure to pass would be in the U.S.’ interest, because it would be a hostile act against Georgia, a country that has lost more than 300 soldiers fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
