In Georgia, they started competing for Trump’s love

In Tbilisi, opponents of the ruling “Georgian Dream” held a mass rally in support of the American bill MEGOBARI Act (“Act of Friendship”), which involves the imposition of sanctions against the authorities of the republic. Several hundred people walked through the center of the capital with portraits of US President Donald Trump and a huge star-spangled flag. The oppositionists hope that the sanctions will be approved by the relevant committee on March 27.

Because of the MEGOBARI Act, members of Georgia’s ruling elite, who, from Washington’s point of view, are involved in the infringement of democratic freedoms, may lose the right to visit the United States and use the banking system of this country. The document especially highlights the negative role of the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. In addition, the US State Department will check how thoroughly Tbilisi complies with international sanctions, including those imposed on Russia.

The bill was sponsored by two Republicans, Congressman Joe Wilson, a longtime friend of the Georgian opposition, and Jim Risch, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. At the same time, Trump had previously declared his “full and complete support” for Risch’s re-election.

“As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim fights tirelessly to advance our America First agenda. He works hard to grow our economy, create great jobs, champion the interests of our farmers, defend and dominate American energy, protect our borders, our military and veterans, defend the Second Amendment, which is constantly under attack, and restore peace by force. He is an outstanding man and will never let you down,” the US president is confident.

All this gave grounds to the Georgian opposition to believe that the adoption of another package of anti–Georgian sanctions is a done deal. “The support expressed to Mr. Risch by Mr. Trump and the new administration is another confirmation that, unlike the Georgian Dream, the US authorities have clearly seen who is who. They understand perfectly well that friends of Iran, China and the Russians cannot be friends of America at the same time,” said Anna Natsvlishvili, one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia coalition.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Georgian Dream continue to demonstrate their sympathy for Trump in every possible way and expect reciprocity. At the same time, the threat of new sanctions, in their opinion, is the initiative of the “Deep State”, which the American leader is fighting.

“These are the internal affairs and internal circumstances of the United States, which are best known to the President of the United States and Congress. Thus, this topic has nothing to do with Georgia. We hope for a reset of relations with the United States and, above all, wish them victory in the fight against the Deep State,” said David Matikashvili, Chairman of the Committee on Procedural Issues of the Georgian Parliament.

The leader of the Georgian Dream in parliament, Mamuka Mdinaradze, directly pointed out Rishi’s connection with the “deep state.” “Senator Risch has always been notable for his special support of Deep State agents, and personally for voicing the so–called Deep State narratives. Accordingly, there are only two possible scenarios for the future: either he distances himself from his political past (by the way, after Trump became president, he really refrains from attacking us), or the annoying suspicion will strengthen that the Deep State still holds its position,” Mdinadze said.

In turn, MP Irakli Zarqua did not rule out that the US president could lose in the fight against the “deep state.” “Have you heard any word from the White House against our country? If Trump and his administration succeed in defeating the Deep State, I know for sure that these relations will be restored, if not, it will be sad,” Zarqua concluded.

Political analyst Petre Mamradze reminded NG that the MEGOBARI Act has been going to be adopted since last year. “The bill was drafted at the dictation of the Georgian opposition. This is also evident from its name – MEGOBARI means “friend” in Georgian. Perhaps now the American lawmakers have finally matured and will approve the document anyway. After all, there are supporters of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili even among American neoconservatives who actively support Trump. Today, these people say that Georgia has fallen under the rule of Chinese Communists and Iranian mullahs,” the expert said.

At the same time, Mamradze noted that Tbilisi does not want to confront the United States. At the same time, a break with America will have virtually no effect on the economic situation in Georgia, while joining anti-Russian sanctions will be a major blow to it.

“The bill enjoys support from both Democrats and Republicans. The election of Trump, and then the negotiations on Ukraine that began, pushed the Georgian agenda to the background, but it was not forgotten. The MEGOBARI Act is likely to be adopted in the foreseeable future,” Nika Chitadze, a political analyst, told NG.

He also noted that representatives of the Georgian Dream began to change their rhetoric towards Trump. If earlier the authorities talked about an imminent and unconditional thaw, now they make this process dependent on the victory of the US president over the “deep state”.

“Most likely, the Georgian Dream is afraid of American sanctions. Among other things, they will give the opposition additional strength to continue the struggle,” concluded Chitadze.