US Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds hearing on "Future of US Policy towards Russia"
By Tsotne Pataraia
Thursday, December 5
On December 3, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on "The Future of US Policy towards Russia." US Senate Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation Christopher Ford were present before the senators.
In his opening remarks, Senator James Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the Russian aggression against Georgia:
“Of course, we all know about the invasions of Georgia and Ukraine over the years, and about the poisoning of Russian people on other sovereign soil. The world today is more dangerous and less free because of the Russian Federation," Senator James Risch stated.
Senator Bob Menendez, co-chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also made statements in support of Georgia:
"We have to be very clear that since the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, many examples of the Kremlin's aggressive actions are simply inadmissible and must not become the norm in international relations," Menendez said.
According to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, Russia is seeking to dominate its neighborhood, reflected in its aggression against Ukraine and Georgia. In his words, the United States has made a significant financial commitment to help its partner countries - Georgia and Ukraine - build sustainability:
"Similar to Ukraine's assistance, we have allocated $ 170 million in foreign military assistance to Georgia since 2014, including $ 94 million for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, to enhance Georgia's resilience to counter aggression from Russia, enhance country's territorial defense capabilities and support Georgia’s military transformation efforts and interoperability with NATO, "Hale noted.
US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation Ford underlined Russia's aggression and occupation of territories against Georgia and Ukraine, Russia's support of Damascus's "killer regime", Russia's undermining of democratic processes in the United States, Europe and elsewhere:
"From 2014 onwards, to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine and Georgia, the US has sharply increased financial aid in the region in the field of security assistance, which demonstrates our strong commitment to collective defense under the North Atlantic Treaty and our support for our European allies and partners to resist Russian aggression and influence,” Assistant Secretary Ford said.
Assistant Secretary Ford has also focused on Russia's failure to comply with the “Open Sky Treaty” since its entry into force. In this regard, he outlined the facts of Russia's breach of the "Open Sky Treaty", including the gross violations carried out by Russia in the vicinity of Georgian territories.
Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, a member of the US Foreign Relations Committee, emphasized Russia's aggressive actions, in particular, Russia's invasion of Georgia and Ukraine. He also cited cases of Russian interference in various parts of the world, especially in the US elections.
On October 23, 2019, US congressmen passed an act in support of Georgia. The document, initiated by Democrat congressman Jerry Connolly and Republican Adam Kinsinger, reiterates US strong bipartisan support for Georgia, condemns Russia's occupation of Georgian territories and proposes sanctions against human rights abusers within the occupation line.
