The United States is moving to a new policy of imposing visa restrictions on Georgia because of the law on foreign agents. This was announced by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, his statement was published by the State Department.
According to Anthony Blinken, Georgia’s new foreign agents bill “will impede the exercise of freedom of association and expression, stigmatise organisations serving Georgian citizens, and interfere with independent media working to ensure that the Georgian people have access to high-quality information.”
“In response to these actions, the State Department is introducing a new restrictive visa policy for Georgia that will apply to individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members,” the US Secretary of State said.
He specified that the restrictive measures would affect, among others, those “responsible for measures of suppression against civil society through violence or intimidation.”
“Anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia – including in the lead-up to, during, or after the October 2024 elections in Georgia – may be deemed ineligible for U.S. visas under this policy and barred from visiting the United States. The immediate family members of such persons may also fall under these restrictions,” Blinken added.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Western ideas of a new world order hypocrisy. According to him, they are aimed solely at preserving the neo-colonial system, showing their essence in the form of “hypocrisy, double standards and claims”.