U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien has not ruled out suspension of U.S. financial assistance to Georgia unless the bill on Transparency of Foreign Influence adopted by the Georgian parliament is harmonized with EU standards, Interfax reports.
"If the law goes forward out of conformity with EU norms and there's undermining of democracy here and there's violence against peaceful protesters - peaceful protestors, then we will see restrictions coming from the United States. Those tend to be financial and/or travel restrictions on the individuals responsible for those actions and their families," O'Brien said at a press conference on Tuesday.
He said the law failed to comply with the EU standards and added that the bilateral relations would be endangered unless the law was amended to meet the EU norms and standards and the Georgian authorities stopped their rhetoric against the United States and the West.
O'Brien said the United States had approved $390-million assistance to Georgia, some of which would be spent on security and defense needs, some on economic needs, and some on strengthening civil society, yet the assistance might be called into question if the Georgian authorities view the United States as an opponent.
He regretted the refusal of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, to meet with him.
The refusal was explained with the alleged de-facto sanctions on Ivanishvili, O'Brien said, adding there are no sanctions on Ivanishvili at this point.
"For such an influential individual to be that badly misinformed is shocking and disappointing," O'Brien said.
"That is a reason that one of Georgia's most important partners cannot meet with this citizen is to elevate that individual interest above the country's constitutional commitment to working more with international partners and joining the EU and NATO," he said.
He also called unreal the statements of Georgian officials regarding the existence of a global party of war, which allegedly does not want the Georgian Dream party to stay in office.
"And that there is a conspiracy by the West to remove Georgian Dream from office, despite 12 years of strong cooperation. It is unreal, wrong, and a complete misunderstanding of the international community's relationship to Georgia," O'Brien said.
O'Brien is visiting Tbilisi.
