In the US, we are very worried and we are monitoring the elections in Georgia at the highest level, - said Dafna Rand, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

The Assistant Secretary of State made a speech at the discussion organized by the "International Republican Institute" (IRI) and the "Atlantic Council", where she also spoke about the current situation in Georgia.

In her speech, she spoke at length about Georgia and Russia's decision to remove unstable democracies in the world and in the neighborhood.

In the context of Georgia, she spoke of Moscow's attempt to support a party that "essentially copied what Russia did at home."

According to Dafna Rand, the US is very worried about the October 26 election, because it can only be fair if there is free debate and competition.

"In the last few years, Russia has made a political decision to actively try to overthrow and disrupt democratically elected governments, targeting the weakest and most unstable. For this, they have a manual by which Russia looks for [targets] in its immediate neighborhood. Elsewhere in the world, where there is internal conflict between parties or factions of the ruling elites, it is trying hard to avoid this democratic competition. This is their method.

I want to talk a little bit about Georgia, because it's really alarming for us in the US government right now. After the 12-year rule of "Georgian Dream", there are very competitive elections on October 26. And we're seeing an event where Russia is trying to support this party, which has essentially copied what Russia has done at home, for example by passing the "foreign agents" law, which restricts civil society, restricts human rights organizations, restricts the ability to express alternative ideas, to criticize, to introduce new ideas. The proposal—which everyone here at the International Republican Institute knows is critical to healthy elections—is an opportunity to debate the issues.

So, since January-February, Russia and Georgian Dream have tried very hard to limit this space for political opposition, in so many ways and at such a level that we at the State Department have responded with our visa restrictions mechanism to hold back those who came up with this "foreign The idea of ​​the law of agents.

So we are very worried about this election because it can only be fair if there is free debate and competition. It is not a problem if "Georgian Dream" wins fairly, but the problem is that they have limited the opportunity for the Georgian people to freely express their desire.

80% of Georgians aspire to get closer to the European Union. There is an accession process, so people want to be closer to the European Union, they want to go through the reform process that EU accession entails. So the restriction of this space and Russian intervention is aimed at pushing the Georgian government and its people back into its orbit, and that is simply unacceptable.

I'll stop talking about Georgia with that, but you probably got the main point that we're worried and the US government is watching [the election] at the highest level, as well as the US Congress," Rand said.