On Tuesday, April 5th, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Georgia Support Act (GSA) in a strong, bipartisan fashion. The passage of this bill sends an unequivocal message of the durable bonds built between the United States and Georgia over decades of cooperation and assistance. The legislation includes a number of key provisions condemning the Russian occupation of Georgian territories, supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic and European aspirations, expanding bilateral security partnership, and supporting bilateral FTA talks.
In 2020, the United States provided Georgia with $132,025,000 in assistance, including $2,200,000 related to international military education and training and $40,000,000 in assistance through the Foreign Military Financing Program. The GSA calls for increased assistance in both areas and reiterates that it is the policy of the United States to enhance Georgia’ security through appropriate assistance.
The legislation also condemns the ongoing detentions, kidnappings, illegal imprisonment, and other human rights violations that occur on a near daily bases in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali which are forcibly occupied by the Russian Federation. The bill specifically acknowledges the horrendous killings of Georgian citizens Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria, Davit Basharuli, and the recent illegal imprisonment of Zaza Gakheladze by Russian occupation forces.
In further bolstering U.S.-Georgia economic ties, the GSA states that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Georgia would be a “clear signal of the strategic interests of the United States in the region, providing further support to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations, post Covid 19 economic recovery and development including trade diversification needs,” adding that it is the sense of Congress that the U.S. Trade Representative should make progress toward negotiations with Georgia on the matter.