U.S. congressman to PM Gakharia: Concern and calls for consideration of sanctions are increasing
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Tuesday, January 21
A member of the US House of Representatives, Republican Markwayne Mullin sends a letter to the Georgian Prime Minister, Giorgi Gakharia, expressing his concern over the deviation from democratic values and the worsening economic situation. Mullin is a Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In a letter dated January 13, Mullin said he joins a letter from his colleagues Adam Kinzinger and Gerry Connolly, in which they were writing about the government’s failure to deliver on the promised reform.
As the congressman writes, despite the progress made since independence, Georgia has shown negative tendencies toward indicators of democracy and a free-market economy that has not gone unnoticed in the United States.
“The result is that foreign direct investment in Georgia is on the decline because U.S. and European business interests have been subjected to harassment and expropriation attack,” reads the letter of Mullin.
He cites the example of the oil and gas company Frontera Resources and the deletion of profile pages from Facebook, “that were found to advance 'coordinated inauthentic behavior' to crush opposition views in Georgia and advance anti-western sentiments.”
Mullin also notes that the 2019 and 2020 budget laws, passed by both chambers of Congress and then signed by the president, reflected concerns about the Georgian government's hostile actions toward democratic values, free-market principles, and American business interests.
“For the first time in Georgia’s modern history, your country has been cast in a negative and cautionary light with respect to appropriations from the U.S. government,” writes Mullin.
Besides, Mullin says calls for sanctions and other punitive measures have increased due to negative trends. He also writes that he has joined this call to reform by “introducing the Georgia Fair Business Practices Sanctions Act earlier this year in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
"While it is my hope that Georgia will continue to be a strategic partner of the United States for many years to come, I also hope that your government will halt aggressive actions against U.S. companies and act quickly on the increasing warning signs that represent a threat to the democracy and economic prosperity that the Georgia people deserve so much,” reads the letter of the congressman.
Member of the European Georgia, Sergi Kapanadze says the critical letter from US Congressman should be a "wake-up call" to the authorities. The lawmaker stated this with the Main Channel.
“Congressman Mullin’s open letter to Giorgi Gakharia is another clear confirmation that the United States is concerned with the processes taking place in Georgia,” said Kapanadze.
As the founder of the Lelo for Georgia, Mamuka Khazaradze said, the assessment of US Congressman casts doubts on the economic relations, “that have formed between our countries and indicates that the country, under the leadership of the Georgian Dream government, is focused on the northern vector.”
Khazaradze estimates that recent statements by US congressmen "virtually call into question the strategic relationship that has been formed between the United States and Georgia over the past 30 years as a result of hard work and dedication."
Vice-Speaker of the Parliament, Gia Volski, says that the critical letter of US Congressman is biased and serves the interests of a particular company, Frontera.
As for Mullin’s resolution on sanctions on fair business partnership in Georgia, Volski said the congressman had a similar initiative in 2017, but the document was not discussed.
Frontera Eastern Georgia has been operating in Georgia since 1997, and during that time they have repeatedly announced that they have found a large supply of gas, but this has not been confirmed yet.
Congressman Markwayne Mullin is currently serving his fourth term in office, he was first elected to serve the people of Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District in November 2012.
