US Congress draft bill condemns recognition of Georgian occupied regions by Syria
Georgian diplomats are sure that the US Congress will pass the bill. Photo: newsbtc.com.
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US Congressman Francis Rooney has presented a draft bill to the US Congress which condemns last year’s recognition of independence of the two occupied regions of Georgia Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) by Syria.
The draft cites Georgia as “one of the US’ most reliable allies in Eurasia” and urges the US government and its partners to take active steps suspend the Russian invasion in its neighboring states.
The resolution reiterates the US’ firm support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemns the occupation of the two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia),” the Georgian Foreign Ministry cites the draft bill as saying.
The bill praises Georgia’s role in protection of international peace and security and says that Russia uses undeveloped states like Syria to achieve its regional goals.
We condemn the recognition of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as an independent state by a client state of Russia, by the Arabian Republic of Syria,” the bill reads.
Great meeting with Congressman @RepRooney. He is a staunch supporter of #Georgia & introduced in the House a very important resolution on #Georgia condemning so-called recognition of independence of #Geo’s occupied regions by #Syria. pic.twitter.com/07sGYpU63j
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) February 7, 2019
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani met Rooney in Washington yesterday and personally thanked him for pushing forward the draft bill.
The draft bill is one more message to those who support Russia’s illegal activities that the international community will never tolerate the recognition of Georgian occupied regions as independent states,” Zalkaliani said.
Reconciliation Minister Ketevan Tsikhelashvili has stated that Syria's recognition of the occupied regions will never make any influence on the firm position of the international community.
However, stating it clear that such a decision is unacceptable is very important," Tsikhelashvili said.
Only Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria have recognised the independence of the Georgian regions so far, since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
The interim government of Venezuela under Juan Guaido has announced plans to revoke the recognition if they preserve power.
The US state department has already included Syria and Nauru on the list of countries which will not receive financial support from the United States.
The reason behind the ban was a US legislative act adopted in May 2017, which supports Georgia’s territorial integrity.
No country can receive funding from the United States if it recognises the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occupied by Russia, or establishes diplomatic ties with them”, says the document.
Syria announced its decision to establish diplomatic relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia in May 2018.
The decision was strongly condemned by the Georgian government.
Georgian Vice Parliament Speaker says that it is very likely that US support for Georgia will increase in the future.
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill which not only condemns the occupation of Georgian lands but also provides sanctions against those who violate human rights in the two Russian-occupied regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The US state department has included Syria in a list of countries that recognise the independence of occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, therefore Syria will no longer be eligible to receive US funding, an official statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia says.
The bi-partisan Georgia Support Act has been introduced to US Congress by Co-Chairmen of the Georgia Caucus Congressmen Ted Poe and Gerald Connolly on June 26. The legislation reasserts the United States’ support for Georgia’s sovereignty and opposition to the "forceful and illegal Russian invasion of Abkhazia and Tskhinivali region/South Ossetia."
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has summarised his visit to the US saying the allies have reaffirmed their support to Georgia and the recent developments near the occupation line where Russian occupation forces have renewed installing barbed wire fences have been among the major topics of discussion at the meetings.
New Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch says that the US must preserve its sanctions against Russia because of its illegal activities in Ukraine and Georgia.
Five US senators have introduced a bill to the Senate which provides tougher sanctions against Russia for its illegal activities in Ukraine, Georgia and for its support of the violent regime of Bashar-al-Assad in Syria.
PM Bakhtadze thanked the senators for their support for Georgia and emphasised that a bill drafted by five senators, Jeanne Shaheen among them, is a clear demonstration of this support.
The US 2019 state budget bill provides increased support for Georgia, with more than $127 million in aid. This is $22 million more than last year, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reports. The draft budget reads that $275 million will be allocated in total for countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.
The US House of Representatives held a hearing on the topic Countering a Resurgent Russia, where diplomats and congresspeople condemned the occupation of Georgian lands by Russia, urging stronger support for Georgia.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives approved a bipartisan bill-Georgia’s Support Act yesterday, which urges further support for Georgia in the defence field and proposes sanctions against the individuals who violated human rights in the two Georgian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkalinai says that Georgia is proud of its centuries-long tolerance to various religious minorities living in the country, stating that Russia harshly violates religious rights and freedom of the Georgian citizens living in the currently occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.
The Georgian Embassy to Germany has sent an official letter to the German Public Broadcaster and the author of a seven-minute TV story which stated incorrect and distorted historic claims about Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Abkhazia, saying that the territory “was handed to Georgia by the head of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to allocate funds for the “modernisation” of the armed forces of Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia region, Russian media RIA Novosti reports. RIA Novosti reads that earlier Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and “his Abkhaz counterpart” Merab Kishmaria agreed on the development of military-technical cooperation and the modernisation of the ‘Abkhaz army.’
The Houses of Representatives has published a new bill for purposes of the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programmes for the current fiscal year which states that $132,025,000 financial assistance will be allocated for Georgia.