Congressman Bacon: we need to arm our partners to make invasion costly
Tweet 
Share
US Congressman Don Bacon says that the United States should arm its partners, such as Georgia, ‘to make invasion costly before it is too late.’
Bacon made the statement during his recent meeting with Georgian Dream party MPs and representatives in Washington.
I met with representatives of the nation of Georgia, @BakradzeDavid, @IrakliBeraiaMP, & @Samkharadze79 to discuss defense strategy against Russian meddling in sovereign nations. Sanctions are not enough. We need to arm our partners to make invasion costly before it's too late. pic.twitter.com/ctrUm1Oa31
— Rep. Don Bacon (@RepDonBacon) December 7, 2021
The Georgian delegation also held a meeting with Congressman Adam Kinzinger.
He stated that ‘given the threat from Russia to Ukraine, we must also double down our military and economic support for them.’
Russia occupied the two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali in 2008 during the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, which is about 20% of Georgian territory.
Thank you @RepKinzinger for your support to Georgia. https://t.co/2vmL3WcN0F
— Nikoloz Samkharadze (@Samkharadze79) December 8, 2021
However, beginning in 2011, Russia has been carrying out a creeping occupation of Georgian territories.
The length of the occupation line to Tskhinvali is more than 350 kilometers, while the length of the occupation line to Abkhazia is 145 kilometers, the Georgian State Security Service says.
According to unofficial information by anti-occupation activists, the occupation forces have grabbed 16,570,000 square meters of land near Tskhinvali alone since 2011.
Only Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria have recognised the Georgian regions as independent countries so far.
The rest of the international community is unanimous that Abkhazia and Tskhinvali are occupied by Russia.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has stated that the Russian-controlled occupation forces are responsible for the death of individuals who drowned in the river of Enguri while trying to cross into Tbilisi-controlled territory from the Russian occupied Gali district of Georgia. The bodies of two 30 and 38-year old women and a 65-year-old man were found earlier today, while the husband of one of the deceased women is still missing.
Russia is ready to participate in discussions over its obligation of paying €10 million in compensation to Georgian citizens who were illegally deported from Russia back in 2006, Georgian Justice Minister Gocha Lortkipanidze stated earlier today. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in January 2019 that Russia must pay out the compensation. However, Russia has refused to do so.
Georgia has won the 2008 war case against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The court released its judgement earlier today which says that Russia violated several articles of the European Convention on Human rights during the conflict and carried out ethnic cleansing of Georgians. The court said that Russia is carrying out an effective control of Georgia’s Tskhinvali and Abkhazia regions and is responsible for the violation of human rights of Georgian citizens.
Russian occupying forces have resumed ‘borderisation’ activities on the territory of the villages of Pakhulani and Saberio, near the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia. The State Security Service of Georgia reported today that the occupying forces are changing the existing barbed wire fences and installing additional illegal installations on the ground.