US suspends strategic partnership with Georgia after EU membership talks halted

The United States suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia on Nov. 30, condemning the country’s decision to pause its efforts toward accession to the European Union amid unprecedented protests against the move, Report informs via POLITICO.

“The decision by Georgian Dream to suspend Georgia’s EU accession process goes against the promise to the Georgian people enshrined in their constitution to pursue full integration into the European Union and NATO,” the State Department wrote in a statement. “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.”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations on Thursday after the European Parliament criticized the country’s recent election as “neither free nor fair.” Thousands of protesters poured onto the streets in the days since, with sources on the ground telling POLITICO that part of the Georgian parliament building had caught on fire Saturday night. Georgian police have been quick to clamp down, using water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray to quell demonstrations.

In its statement, the State Department condemned the “excessive use of force by police,” noting that the Georgian people “overwhelmingly support integration with Europe.”

Georgian media also reported on Saturday that Georgian ambassador to the US David Zalkaliani resigned from his post. Zalkaliani has served as the country’s US ambassador since April 2022.

Tensions in Georgia have escalated since the Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the country’s Oct. 26 election — a victory that opposition parties have contested, alleging election fraud. While according to some polls, nearly 80 percent of Georgians support EU membership, the government has increasingly moved to align itself with Russia, further estranging itself from the Western alliance. EU leaders put Georgia’s membership process on hold on Oct. 30, saying the country had “gone backwards” in light of its recent election.

Georgia was granted candidate status by the EU last year, paving the way for the South Caucasus country to join the bloc. However, its application was suspended after lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream Party in May voted through a Russian-style law that would brand Western-backed NGOs as “foreign agents,” and introduced a sweeping crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.

The US has imposed sanctions on Georgian Dream lawmakers it says are responsible for backsliding on democracy and for a heavy-handed crackdown on protesters during widespread protests over the summer.