All U.S. partners, including Georgia, will be invited to participate in NATO partnership events, Jim O’Brien, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs said on June 24. In his remarks, the Assistant Secretary of State also said that the U.S. is “very troubled” by the decisions and rhetoric “coming from a very small number of leaders” of the GD.

Jim O’Brien said “it’s clear [that] 80 to 85 percent of the Georgian people want further integration to the EU and NATO”, and pointed to the deceptive statements by members of the Georgian government as if their recent actions do not jeopardize this path.

Assistance State Secretary O’Brien recalled the recent statements by the U.S. as well as the today’s statement by EU High Representative Josep Borrell that recent GD decisions are “incompatible with the EU and US based international organizations, citing in particular “recent reports of violence against opposition leaders and members of civil society, the adoption of the foreign agents law, and the awarding of the Anaklia port project to the Chinese company.

He reiterated that the U.S. is asking the Georgian government “to reconsider its positions.” and noted that the US will continue reviewing the multilateral and bilateral engagements with Georgia.” 

He clarified that if Georgia wants to join the Western political “clubs”, it will have to accept the rules of the club, and stressed that this does not question the Georgian sovereignty, as it is often presented by the GD members. 

"We want them to understand that the path they are on and the rhetoric they are using about the West is incompatible with what 80% of Georgia's citizens say they want. We want the voters of Georgia to understand that, and we want the politicians making decisions to be clear that if they continue on this path, they are jeopardizing what they told us last year: closer integration and a path toward the EU and closer cooperation with NATO. So, we are trying to be as clear as we can that there is a way to step back from the path they have chosen. We do not preview actions that we take with regard to individuals and institutions. Secretary Blinken announced several weeks ago a policy that anyone who is undermining the path to democracy in Georgia would face some kind of repercussion. If we decide that this is an appropriate course of action, we will announce it at that time when the decision is made" - Jim O’Brien added. 

He also said that discussions with Georgian officials will continue in the meantime.