Georgia’s ruling party official criticizes US decision to halt Noble Partner exercises as “wrong”

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, responded on Monday to the United States’ decision to “indefinitely postpone” the Noble Partner military exercises with Georgia, labeling the move as “incorrect”.

The US action follows earlier sanctions imposed this year on unspecified Georgian officials over the adoption of a foreign influence transparency law deemed by Washington as “undemocratic”.

Mdinaradze also criticized US policies towards Georgia, citing visa issuance statistics in comparison to Afghanistan. “Despite ongoing discussions on free trade and direct flights [with the US], our efforts are met with the cancellation of military exercises,” lamented Mdinaradze. 

 

“Countries with much fewer engagements have received more visas since the 2000s, while Georgia and Afghanistan show similar visa issuance rates. Though we refrain from alleging US interference in Georgia’s upcoming general elections, such concerns may arise.”

Mdinaradze expressed bewilderment over the decision, given Georgia’s “democratic reforms and its status as a leading EU membership candidate”, and hinted at potential reassessments in the coming months based on “specific developments”.

Georgia’s opposition and civil society accuse the Georgian Dream authorities of steering the country away from its Euro-Atlantic aspirations by strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing, and enacting laws that they argue hinder the country’s EU integration efforts.