Sec. 1267. Sense of Congress on enhancing strategic partnership, defense and security cooperation with Georgia
539 words·~2 min read·
/bill/117/hr/7900/eh/section-1267·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: Georgia is a valued friend and strategic partner of the United States and a NATO aspirant that has consistently sought to advance shared values and mutual interests to include deploying alongside United States forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the past 30 years of partnership, the United States has contributed to strengthening Georgia’s progress on the path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Security in the Black Sea region is a matter of strategic importance for the United States, especially amid Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.
Enhancing Georgia’s self-defense and whole-of-government resistance and resilience capacity is critical for Euro-Atlantic security, the United States’s national security objectives and strategic interests in the Black Sea region. Georgia is a significant economic, energy transit, and international trade hub. Georgia is an integral part of the East-West corridor that is vital to European energy security and diversification of strategic supply-chain routes for the United States and Europe.
Continuous illegal occupation of two Georgian regions by Russia, its accelerated attempts of de-facto annexation of both regions and hybrid warfare tactics including political interference, cyber-attacks, and disinformation and propaganda campaigns pose immediate challenges to the national security of Georgia and the security of Europe. It is the sense of Congress that the United States should— reaffirm support and take steps to enhance and deepen the steadfast strategic partnership in all priority areas of the 2009 United States—Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership and in line with the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding on Deepening the Defense and Security Partnership between the United States and Georgia; continue firm support to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders; intensify efforts towards de-occupation of Georgia’s territories and peaceful resolution of Russia-Georgia conflict, including through consolidation of decisive international action to ensure full and unconditional fulfilment by the Russian Federation of its international obligations, inter alia implementation of the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement; continue strong support and meaningful participation in the Geneva International Discussions for ensuring implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement by the Russian Federation and achieving lasting peace and security in Georgia; continue working to strengthen press freedom, democratic institutions, and the rule of law in Georgia in order to help secure its path of Euro-Atlantic integration and aspirant NATO and EU membership; prioritize and deepen defense and security cooperation with Georgia, including the full implementation and potential acceleration of the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, increased military financing of Georgia’s equipment modernization plans to enhance Georgia’s deterrence, territorial defense, whole-of-government resistance and resilience capacity, and to foster readiness and NATO interoperability; support existing and new cooperation formats to bolster cooperation among NATO, Georgia and Black Sea regional partners to enhance Black Sea security especially in the changed security environment including increasing the frequency, scale and scope of exercises such as NATO Article 5 exercises and assistance to Georgia’s Defense Forces modernization efforts; enhance assistance to Georgia in the cyber domain through training, education, and technical assistance to enable Georgia to prevent, mitigate and respond to cyber threats; and continue support and assistance to Georgia in countering Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns intended to undermine the sovereignty of Georgia, credibility of its democratic institutions and European and Euro-Atlantic integration.