Washington Times: "Georgia at a crossroads"

Washington Times has published an op-ed written by J. Adam Ereli, spokesman of the deputy State Department , who writes that as a result of its position at the center of the New Silk Road and East-West trading corridors, Georgia has emerged as a focal point of great power competition.

The article reads that Georgia is also among the most pro-American and democratic states in Eastern Europe and it “receives high marks in virtually all indices of transparency”, rule of law, media freedom, development of political parties and accountability.

Important policy challenges await Georgia’s new government in 2020. Even though 80 percent of Georgians polled support full EU membership and 72 percent favour joining NATO, full integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions remain seductively elusive. For example, the EU signed Association Agreement with Georgia in 2014 that provides for closer economic and political ties, but recent declarations by French President Emmanuel Macron show that the EU has little appetite for the kind of enlargement that would bring Georgia fully into the European Union”, writes the author.

J. Adam Ereli writes that US strongly supports Georgia, remembering Support Act, which reaffirms US support for Georgia’s sovereignty, recognizes its commitment to democratic values and opposes Russian aggression.

The author highlights the tense political relations between Georgia and Russia and the importance of America’s role in the process. He reminds readers that president Trump has signed legislation declaring Georgia’s breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be Russian-occupied territories and banning financial support for any country recognizing their independence.

Read the full story here.