US House Foreign Affairs Committee approves act in support of Georgia
Pending approval in a plenary session of the House of Representatives, the bill will be sent to the Senate for further confirmation. Photo via Shutterstock.com
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The United States House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved an act in support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia said on Wednesday.
In passing the legislation through the House, American lawmakers stressed standing with the country and further deepening relations between Georgia and the US was “vital”, the foreign office added.
Pending approval in a plenary session of the House of Representatives, the bill will be sent to the Senate for further confirmation.
In comments on the act, Congressman Adam Kinzinger underlined the threats Georgia faced, and the importance of US support, by saying “this act underscores US support for Georgia's territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty, reflected in growing support for security.”
NATO-Georgia cooperation, the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and the consequent deterioration of the security situation in the Eastern European region were discussed on Thursday during a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security David Cattler.
NATO must step up individual support for Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a briefing ahead of a summit of alliance leaders on Tuesday.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the allies of the alliance to “step up” in their support for Georgia following an extraordinary meeting of NATO defence ministers on Wednesday.
Stoltenberg said the ongoing war in Ukraine also put the nearby non-NATO member states, including Georgia, at risk.
Georgia as a partner is important for NATO, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a briefing on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers of NATO member and allied states in Brussels.
The adoption of the act in support of Georgia by the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee was hailed by the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia as “a testament to the firm bilateral Georgia-US bonds” on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said "stepping up" support for the Alliance partners “under Russian pressure,” including Georgia, would be discussed at the meeting of Foreign Ministers on April 6 and 7.
Canada supports Georgia and has “always supported” NATO's open door policy to aspiring member states, Mélanie Joly, the Canadian Foreign Minister, said on Thursday ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Brussels.