U.S. suspends strategic partnership with Georgia

The U.S. Department of State has announced the suspension of its strategic partnership with Georgia following the Georgian government's decision to abandon negotiations on EU accession until 2028.

The Department of State said this in a statement, Ukrinform reports.

According to the statement, the ruling Georgian Dream party's decision to halt the EU accession process contradicts the Georgian constitution's promise to pursue full integration into the European Union and NATO. By suspending Georgia's EU accession process, Georgian Dream has rejected the opportunity for closer ties with Europe and made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin.

The statement emphasizes that the Georgian people overwhelmingly support integration with Europe.

"The United States condemns the excessive use of force by police against Georgians seeking to exercise their rights to assembly and expression, including their freedom to peacefully protest. We call on all sides to ensure protests remain peaceful," the U.S. Department of State said.

In this regard, the State Department announced the suspension of its strategic partnership with Georgia.

"Georgian Dream's various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership, which was based on shared values and commitments to democracy, rule of law, civil society, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and anti-corruption efforts. As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism," the statement said.

The State Department called on the Georgian government to return to its Euro-Atlantic path, transparently investigate all parliamentary election irregularities, and repeal anti-democratic laws that limit freedoms of assembly and expression.

On November 28, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would suspend EU accession talks until 2028, sparking widespread outrage. That evening, protests erupted near the Georgian Dream party's central office in Tbilisi.

Special forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, 43 protesters were detained, and at least ten journalists were injured during the dispersal.

The following day, thousands of protesters gathered again near the parliament building in Tbilisi. Law enforcement used water cannons to break up the demonstration, injuring Mariam Gaprindashvili, a journalist from an opposition TV channel.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili condemned the government's decision, calling it "the end of the constitutional coup" and likening the crackdown on protesters to "Russian methods."

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also condemned the use of force against peaceful protesters in Tbilisi, urging the Georgian authorities to respect citizens' rights to peaceful assembly and refrain from violence or provocations.

On Saturday, protests resumed across several cities in Georgia against the government's decision to abandon EU accession talks.

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