"Friendship Law"

The United States will apply against the Georgian Dream Act Megobari, which implies sanctions

The problems of democracy in Georgia united the Republicans and Democrats in the United States - in Congress supported the bill called Megobari. In Georgian, this word means “friend”, however, for the “Georgian dream” it is more likely a declaration of war: the law prescribes the American government through sanctions to achieve the return of Tbilisi to Western orbit. The opposition celebrates the first serious victory after the protests. However, it is not yet clear whether Washington’s “friendly” threats will affect the “dream”. As a special law for Georgia, they adopted in the Congress and why the Georgian opposition hopes for it, explains Iya Baratel.

Amazing consensus

On the night of May 6, the part of the Georgian population interested in the US population switched to American times. Social networks were considered hours and even minutes that remained before the voting procedure in the US House by the Law of Megobari (Mobileizing and Enhancing Georgia's Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act - “Act On the mobilization and expansion of Georgia’s capabilities to strengthen accountability, stability and independence ”).

The forecasts were justified: a bicopartican legislative initiative, designed to return Georgia to the rails of democracy, has become one of the recent examples of overcoming polarization in the American political elite.

They also rejoiced for Ukraine: on the same day, the Congress showed unanimouses on the issue of transferring another Patriot air defense system and approval of a package of $ 350 million for maintenance and preparation of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters.

In the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Congress, the bill Megobari was supported by 349 congressmen (out of 435 members participating in the vote), of which 168 - Republicans, 181 - democrats. Only 42 congressmen voted against, another 42 - abstained. Among those who are against, 34 Republican and 8 democrats. It is interesting that the left-wing congression of Alexandria Okasio-Cortes and other members of the informal Ultra-Film Bloc The Squad refused to maintain democracy in Georgia.

Now the bill will be sent first to the Senate, and in the end - to the signature of President Donald Trump. The Georgian opposition has no doubt that thanks to a serious bipartisan support, everything will go smoothly and the document awaits a quick statement in the Senate according to the unanimous approval procedure (Unanimous Consent).

Under the bill, party leaders and deputies of the Parliament from the “Georgian Dream”, operating on January 1, 2014, may fall under the bill.

Megobari also provides for sanctions against the current high-ranking officials and their close relatives in the event that they received any benefits from the actions of the Georgian Dream.

The leader of the Girchi - more freedom party Zurab Japaridze is sure that President Trump will sign the Megobari law. “This will be the first time when the new president of the United States and its administration will record their position on the situation in Georgia and the existing regime. For the purpose of the bill, it is directly written that it will withstand the influence of Russia, China and Iran in Georgia. ”

Also, according to Japaridze, the bill involves the creation of two important documents: a report on what assets the Russian Federation possesses in Georgia, and in this case it is not only about real estate, but also about the people who work in favor of Russia, and a strategic document on the revision of the US policy in relation to Georgia. “This bill practically declares the enemy a regime that is governing Georgia today,” Japarizde is sure. - What happens to the enemies of the United States, we all know. The smell of this already feel in the "dream". "

Tell me who is your Megobari

One of the authors of the Megobari bill, a congressman-republican from Southern Carolina Joe Wilson, did not change himself before the vote, clearly indicating his attitude to the “Georgian dream” on the social network X:

“The false regime of the“ Georgian Dream ”hates America and President Trump. He trades with anti -American theories of conspiracy and sells the country of the Chinese Communist Party. Enough! We must side with the Georgian people, which requires free and fair elections. ”

A few hours after the procedure in Congress, Wilson published on the X list of Georgian officials, politicians, ministers, judges, businessmen and media leaders, who, in his opinion, will affect the sanctions after the approval of Megobari.

There are about 40 people in the list, and it begins with the very first persons of the state: Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, speaker of the parliament Shalva Papuashvili, mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze, ex-prime minister Irakli Garibashvili, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Vakhtang Gomlauri, prosecutor General Georgy Gabitashvili, head of the Central Electoral Commission George Kalandarishvili, head of the anti-corruption bureau, Razhen Kuprashvili, President of the National Bank of National Tournava, businessmen from the encirclement of Bidzina Ivanishvili, including his relatives, Mamatsashvili and Alexander Ivanishvili, former general prosecutor, previously authorized Otar Romanov-Paradov-Paradenskladze. The preliminary list was the US citizen Irakli Rukhadze, the owner of the Imady television company - a stronghold of government propaganda, as well as Vasil Malaperidze and Tinatin Berdzenishvili from the leadership of the public television of Georgia.

“Support free and fair elections or get the consequences,” the Congressman Wilson accompanied the list with such a signature, which, however, is not mentioned by Bidzin Ivanishvili.

Before voting in the House of Representatives, American lawmakers discussed the initiative in the Committee on International Relations, four congressmen supported the bill, one opposed.

During the public discussion, Joe Wilson also recalled peaceful demonstrators in Tbilisi: “For more than 155 days, the freedom -loving people of Georgia peacefully go outside to protect the future and soul of their nation.”

Wilson convinced his colleagues that the regime of the Georgian Dream was engaged in anti -American propaganda daily. “[The regime] accuses the high -ranking officials of the US government, including President Donald Trump, as well as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Honorable Jim Riche, in corruption and subordination of Deep State (“ Deep State ”). Last week, a government official made a statement that Donald Trump is an instrument of the deep state, ”Wilson said.

The Republican from Florida Brian Mast in his speech pointed to the long-standing relations of Georgia and the USA, noting that bilateral relations were injured due to the actions of the ruling party, "which copies the authoritarian tactics of Russia, as well as its policy in relation to China and Iran."

He also emphasized the importance of the bill, saying that this will become a “alternative proposal” for Georgia:

“The United States of America should reward partners for good behavior. This bill is not an attack on the Georgian people, it is aimed at their support, and its goal is to help the people, having punished unscrupulous officials who alienate him from the United States, ”Mast said in his speech.

The Republican from Ohio Warren Davidson became the voice of those who disagree with Megobari Congressmen: “We should not get involved in every conflict that we are invited to, and we, of course, do not need to look for additional conflicts. [...] We can wish the people of Georgia success, not promising to become a European defensive force. ”

Davidson called on colleagues to pay their main attention to America’s policy primarily, which, as the congressman reminded, does not include support from the Megobari law. By the way, in 2024, Davidson was part of a group of nine Republicans who refused to support a resolution condemning the illegal movement of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Friendship - for the people, the law - for "dreams"

The Georgian opposition does not hide that they are satisfied with the decision of the Congress, although the opposition itself in Georgia has recently criticized from all sides for inaction and the lack of initiative.

It’s really not easy for opponents of “dreams”: the opposition tried to boycott the work of the new parliament, but the ruling party did not, as last time, conduct long negotiations and make concessions, but simply canceled the deputy mandates of the opposition. And now he communicates with the opposition only through the courts and still calls for interrogations to the parliamentary commission, the purpose of which is to investigate the actions of the Presidential Government Saakashvili during the war with Russia in 2008. The opposition does not agree to communicate in this way, as a result, its leaders find themselves in court, where they have to pay fines for refusing to testify the commission.

Political life in such conditions came to protest, for the organization of which the opposition is not very necessary: ​​on the streets in Tbilisi, Batumi and other cities of the country due to giant fines and frequent detentions, only the most persistent are coming out. But even in such conditions, stocks continue.

Left in parliament without opposition, the “dream” has already adopted several laws that greatly limit the work of the media, non -governmental organizations, and the receipt of any foreign grants is now possible only with the resolution of parliament. The authorities are not shy to detain activists under any pretext, and recently arrested accounts of funds that ensured the payment of administrative fines to help participants in protests.

The whole country listed the funds to these charity funds, but last week the prosecutor’s office held a demonstration - searches in the house of the TV presenter and founder of the charitable foundation of Nanuki Georjoliani, activist Mariam Badelidze and the head of the non -governmental organization “Center for Human Rights” Aleko Tskitishvili.

The search of the house at Zhorjoliani took seven hours, according to her, about 100 police officers came to her. Badelidze complained that the police who were in her apartment scared the child. And in order to search the apartment of Tskitishvili, he was first detained in a city bus.

After freezing the account, which the donations are received to help the detainees in the protests, it was decided to open a new one - this time abroad. And although in this case the solution was found, the protests often say that they are tired of a constant feeling of powerlessness.

Can this situation change? Most likely not. Today, on May 7, the Georgian Dream held a party congress to re-elect the leader after the former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who turned out to be on the site of the party chairman, once again decided to leave this post and “generally from politics”.

There were many commentators who connected this decision with the reluctance of Garibashvili to fall under Western sanctions: in the end, he has four children, and the eldest son studies at a prestigious American university. Yes, and Garibashvili himself is only 42 years old. "Do you leave politics without falling under sanctions?" - They asked him at a farewell briefing. “I don’t know, I don’t know anything about it ... In general, why should there be sanctions against me?” - the former prime minister and former chairman asked in response with a sad smile.

Following the results of the congress, which was held at the five -star hotel in the center of Tbilisi, which belonged to Ivanishvili, the current Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was elected chairman of the ruling party. He said that he was proud and happy to occupy this post, confirmed the intention to end the “radical opposition”, and said about the sanctions that “the processes are going so that this can be considered a compliment.” Opponents of the authorities note that Kobahidze is simply nowhere to go from the cargo of responsibility, which Bidzina Ivanishvili is assigned to him. It is also obvious that Kobahidze will be difficult to become a political figure that will be able to “reboot” the destroyed relations with America and Europe.

In the past year and a half, the Georgian Dream party in the status of the honorary chairman is governed by Ivanishvili himself. This implies special powers: the billionaire has the right to single -handedly represent the prime minister’s candidacy, although no one doubts that he also determines any party and government permutations. It is interesting that Ivanishvili in this situation did not dare to become the official chairman of the “Dream”. Apparently, it seems safer to maintain a distance - taking into account the fact that the United States has already applied sanctions against him, although not in full force.

Continuous Deep state "Georgian Dream"

Since the end of March, when the Megobari bill was approved by the specialized committee on foreign affairs, in the “Georgian Dream” it was regarded exclusively as the intrigues of Deep State.

The mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the Georgian Dream, and is now reproaching the American leadership for the fact that there are not too actively fighting for victory: “In the Megobari act, I see that the“ deep state ”is not yet defeated and its roots are deep.”

Representatives of the "Dreams", who hoped for Trump's presidency, are now increasingly setting him conditions. At the same time, they do not refuse the good old classics - theories about the "agent network, which is going to commit a coup d'etat." As a result, Trump never finished off the “dipstice”, because of which Western funds continue to “terrorize” the “dream”, which has been in power for 13 years.

“Over the years, hundreds of millions have been spent on creating an agent network so that agents could organize coups in the country if necessary, which they tried many times in Georgia. All this was financed by NEFI, USAID and other different funds. The "deep state" is not defeated. We protect the interests of our country. If Trump manages to defeat him, we will only welcome it. We will not allow anyone to have our interests and use them, as in the case of Ukraine, ”Kaladze said.

He called the situation in Georgian-American relations “unacceptable,” and is to blame for everything, according to Kaladze, the Biden administration. It’s scary to think that in the “Dream” they will talk about Trump if he really signed a “friendly” law.

“The previous administration told us to black that it was white, was saturated with false propaganda. We want all this to end. Relations should be friendly, partnerships, bilateral.

It is unacceptable when a large state, such as, for example, America, looked down at a smaller state that has great traditions and culture. ”

Meanwhile, the fifth president of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili, the only one from which of the Georgian officials Trump communicated directly after the US president’s election, believes that Georgian friendship with America will resume only after the change of Georgian government. After that, we can talk about the restoration of strategic partnership with the United States, the expansion of trade and liberalization of the visa regime, which is also taken into account in the new American law.

“Georgian officials accuse America of being a“ party of war ”,“ deep state ”and so on,” she says. - This is unacceptable! This is America’s answer as a friend. We will return our friend as soon as this mode changes. We will return to ourselves not only the friendship of America, we will return to ourselves a strategic partnership that was lost during this period. ”