The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced the suspension of all program support to the Georgian government, as well as restrictions on defense cooperation and engagement with the Georgian government in response to the recent crackdown on protests in Georgia. In an issued statement, Lammy condemned the “shocking scenes of violence towards protestors and journalists” by Georgian authorities, saying the actions are “unacceptable and must stop.”
“The shocking scenes of violence towards protestors and journalists by the Georgian authorities are unacceptable and must stop. These actions tarnish Georgia’s international standing and fly in the face of Georgia’s constitutional commitment to a European future.
In light of ongoing events, the UK will immediately suspend all programme support to the Georgian government, restrict defence cooperation, and limit engagement with representatives of Georgian Dream government until there is a halt to this move away from European democratic norms and freedoms. The UK will continue to stand by the people of Georgia in supporting their right to choose their country’s future,” the Foreign Secretary stated.
Amid ongoing pro-EU protests in Georgia, sparked by the Georgian Dream government’s decision to postpone EU accession until 2028, several international developments have occurred. On November 28, after the October 26 elections, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, announced that the Swedish government would halt direct cooperation with the Georgian government.
Subsequently, on November 30, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the United States had suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia due to the Georgian Dream government’s decision to delay EU accession.
Additionally, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, announced that no new development cooperation projects with Georgia would be approved or commissioned, and no loan agreements would be signed. These measures reflect growing international concerns over Georgia’s move away from the European path.
