Analysts reproach Georgian authorities for insufficient military partnership with USA

Amid the Russia's special operation in Ukraine, Georgian authorities have chosen the tactics of passive policies so as not to irritate Russia. As a result, the US House of Representatives has approved only the amount of USD 35 million as military assistance to Georgia, the Georgian analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted.

The US House of Representatives has approved the Georgia Support Act, which establishes the two countries' strategic partnership. The document, among other things, defines US-Georgian cooperation in the spheres of defence and security, the press service of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has said in a statement sent to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

For more than 20 years, the USA has been providing support to Georgia in all the spheres – from security issues to education; and the above document is a continuation of this support. However, the amount of USD 35 million is too small, since it will not cover all the expenses in case of hostilities, Khatuna Lagazidze, a security specialist, has noted.

In this situation, she has blamed the country's authorities for not telling the States exactly what Georgia needed. Moreover, Georgian authorities are "turning away from the West and the USA," and these relations can't be treated as friendship or partnership.

The understated amount of American aid is caused by the passivity of Georgian authorities, Giorgi Badridze, an analyst at the Georgian Fund for Strategic and International Studies, believes.

"This is a completely conscious passivity, which is due to the 'non-irritation policy'. However, this policy brings no fruit: there's no progress in the issue of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The only thing that authorities can cite as a success is the export of Georgian products to the Russian market However, it has turned out that Russia is using trade and economic ties as a political weapon," Mr Badridze told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 30, 2022 at 01:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.