Georgian Foreign Minister criticises MEGOBARI Act as harmful to Georgia-US relations

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Tuesday criticised the proposed MEGOBARI Act, describing it as a document that undermined the relationship between Georgia and the United States.

In her remarks, Botchorishvili also targeted US Congressman Joe Wilson, accusing him of spreading false information about Georgia and promoting an unfriendly stance toward the country.

“I believe the Georgian public has no questions regarding Congressman Joe Wilson, who deliberately spreads a great deal of false information about our country and is directly involved in an unfriendly stance toward Georgia. On the contrary, the Congressman is lobbying, so to speak, for the development of unfriendly relations with Georgia”, Botchorishvili said.

The Foreign Minister emphasised that the act itself lacks any friendly intent.

“It’s the same when they talk about adopting the MEGOBARI Act. We have repeatedly said that there is nothing friendly in the MEGOBARI Act. It is a document that harms the relationship between Georgia and the United States. Accordingly, those who lobby for the adoption of this document certainly cannot be considered supporters of strengthening Georgia-US relations”, Botchorishvili concluded.

The Act proposes sanctions and visa restrictions for high-ranking Georgian officials. Its full title is Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia's Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act. It is also officially known as the Countering Chinese Communist Party, Iranian Regime, and Russian Federation Malign Influence in Georgia Act. The bill was authored by Congressman Joe Wilson.