The Georgia Support Act passed by United States House of Representatives

The Georgia Support Act was approved by the United States House of Representatives with 406 votes in favour and 20 votes against. According to the bipartisan bill, international citizens responsible for or complicit in egregious human rights abuses in Georgia's Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia should face entry and property-blocking penalties.

The President is also required to report on such foreign people to Congress every 180 days. The law also requires the Department of State to report to Congress on a variety of matters relating to Georgia, including U.S. support to Georgia and an evaluation of risks to Georgia's independence and defence capability.

Gerald Connolly (D-VA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), co-chairs of the Congressional Georgia Caucus, proposed the draft measure in February 2021. “On April 5, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved it. The Georgia Support Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives, reinforces and enhances the strength of the US-Georgia strategic alliance,” Irakli Garibashvili, Georgia's PM responded to the news on Twitter.

Presidents of Georgia and Moldova speak on the phone about Transnistria

Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, spoke by phone with Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova. "Georgia stands in solidarity with Moldova, and our European journey is what unites us," President Zourabichvili, who was visiting Washington, DC, stated on Twitter. President Zourabichvili reaffirmed her "whole support" with President Sandu and Moldova, expressing her worry about the situation in Transnistria. "Any attempt to further destabilise Europe poses a risk to all of us," she tweeted.

President Sandu, on her part, praised the Georgian people for their "solidarity with Moldova in these tough times for the whole region" in a tweet.

The discussion comes as tensions in Moldova's Russian-backed separatist Transnistria have risen, raising worries that the territory would be sucked into the Ukraine conflict.

Speaker Pelosi hosts Georgian President Zourabichvili

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to the Capitol. 

Speaker Pelosi remarked on Twitter, "Congress proudly stands with the people of Georgia, and we remain unshakable in our support for their sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression." The House of Representatives, she noted, confirmed America's opposition to Russia's illegitimate occupation of Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and Abkhazia by adopting the Georgia Support Act on April 27. Speaker Pelosi stated, "this bipartisan measure allows sanctions on individuals implicated in Russia's human rights atrocities against the people of Georgia."

President Salome Zourabichvili said that they talked about Ukraine and Russia's unlawful actions, as well as the significance of ongoing American support for Georgia. "As women leaders, we must speak out against war and for peace," the Georgian President said.

Georgian Dream chairperson: "Anyone who wants release of Saakashvili wants a war to wage in Georgia”

Responding to rising requests for the ex-President's transfer abroad due to his deteriorating health, Georgian Dream chairman Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that anybody who wants or demands Mikheil Saakashvili's release wants "a war to wage in Georgia." According to Kobakhidze the Georgian ombudsperson Nino Lomjaria "represents the party of war" in response to a recent assessment by the Public Defender's group of specialists that Saakashvili suffered from "protein famine."

With his return ahead of the October 2 municipal elections, Saakashvili had planned to "stir up" the situation in Georgia and overthrow the government, according to the ruling party's chairman. Saakashvili will go to war with Russia after taking power alongside ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, For Georgia party leader, and Mamuka Khazaradze, Lelo party chair, according to MP Kobakhidze. 

The head of the ruling party further said that any battle with Georgia would be more catastrophic than with Ukraine. He claimed that anyone who urges Georgia to join the conflict against Russia is wishing for "total humanitarian, economic, and political catastrophe for our nation."

The GD chair's remarks come a day after Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that when Saakashvili returned to Georgia, he came for ‘destabilisation,’ ‘revolution,’ and ‘mass deaths.’ "There would be a battle here now if Saakashvili was in charge," Prime Minister Garibashvili stated. "They'd start a second Mariupol right here." PM Garibashvili declared, "I know I disappointed every phoney friend who longed for conflict in my country, in your nation," referencing to GD's accusations that certain Ukrainian authorities want a "second frontline" formed in Georgia.

"There should not be any thoughts about some party of war in Georgia," President Salome Zourabichvili said. The president believes that there is no such thing as a "war party" and that "no one favours a conflict in Georgia." President Zourabichvili went on to say that she "wants to personally protect [the] Public Defender," emphasising the importance of the institution while Georgia awaits a response to its EU membership candidacy application.

The Georgian Dream chair's charges against her, according to Public Defender Nino Lomjaria, are "unfounded" and "slanderous." She claimed that making such claims is a simple way to disparage their opponents, in this case, the Public Defender. "However, their position is unconvincing and unfounded."

Petre Tsiskarishvili, General Secretary of the United National Movement, responded to the Georgian Dream leaders' claims, stating, "the party of traitors has been fearmongering about war since Russia invaded Ukraine." Tsiskarishvili stated that Prime Minister Garibashvili talked "as if" what occurred in Mariupol was Ukraine's or President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy's responsibility.

EU Special Representative Klaar visited Tbilisi

Toivo Klaar, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Georgian Crisis, left Tbilisi after meeting with key Georgian authorities. The EU Special Representative and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met to discuss Russia's attack on Ukraine, as well as Georgia's humanitarian assistance and multilateral support for Kyiv, according to the government's press service.

According to the article, the meetings also included Georgia's strategy for de-occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, as well as peaceful conflict settlement. 

Moreover, Special Representative Klaar and Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili discussed the relevance of the Geneva International Discussions, which the former co-chairs, as well as the necessity for Russia to follow through on its commitments under the EU-brokered 2008 ceasefire agreement. The sides also addressed a peaceful resolution of the dispute and Tbilisi's efforts in this regard, according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry.