US suspends $95 million in aid to Georgia over its ʼforeign agentsʼ law

The United States is suspending more than $95 million in aid to the Georgian government over Georgiaʼs "foreign agents" law. In Washington, he is considered anti-democratic.

This was announced by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

According to him, the pause in aid from the US is the result of a review of bilateral relations between the countries, which Washington announced back in May along with visa sanctions against those involved in the adoption of the law on "foreign agents" and the dispersal of protests in Georgia.

Then the ruling party of Georgia "Georgian Dream" accused Washington of carrying out a policy of "threats and blackmail".

"The anti-democratic actions and false statements of the Georgian government are incompatible with the norms of EU and NATO membership," Blinken stressed.

The Georgian government has not yet commented on his statement.

Law on "foreign agents" in Georgia

In May 2024 , the Georgian parliament finally adopted the law on "foreign agents", despite the resistance of the opposition and mass protests with clashes in the capital. According to the law, a special register is being created in Georgia, which will contain all non-commercial legal entities and media that are financed from abroad by more than 20%. They must publish an annual financial report — otherwise there will be fines and inspections.

The USA and the European Union condemned the decision of the parliament. The EU stated that the adopted law effectively stops the integration of Georgia. The US announced a "comprehensive review" of bilateral cooperation with Georgia due to the suppression of democratic freedoms.

• Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia Pavlo Herchynskyi announced the suspension of the process of Georgiaʼs accession to the EU.
• The US postponed military exercises with Noble Partner Georgia for an indefinite period, also because of the law on "foreign agents".