Daniel Fried: Deepening Georgia’s isolation may even be "Georgian Dream's" goal — I support halting aid to the government and favor sanctions
"I support halting aid to the government, I support the sanctions that have been imposed, and perhaps more sanctions should be imposed on additional high-ranking officials. I also support Salome Zurabishvili, who has taken a firm political stance and, unlike her so-called successor, has legitimacy," said Daniel Fried, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, in an interview with "Voice of America."
According to Fried, he understands the arguments made by Georgian democrats and pro-democracy advocates regarding the current government's illegitimacy.
"I support halting aid to the government, I support the sanctions that have been imposed, and perhaps more sanctions should be imposed on additional high-ranking officials. And I truly understand the arguments made by Georgian democrats and pro-democracy advocates about the illegitimacy of the current government. I also support Salome Zurabishvili, who has taken a firm political stance and, unlike her so-called successor, has legitimacy. I understand this. But I want to urge the audience not to view recognition as the only measure or tool of external support," Fried stated.
Fried explained that Georgia's future does not depend on the actions of the West but rather on what the Georgian people do.
"There are other ways to support Georgia's democratic movement, and America and Europe have extensive experience in this. Georgia's future does not depend on what we, in the West, do—it depends on what the Georgian people do. And so far, over the past several weeks, the Georgian people have shown such dedication and courage that I am sure it has surprised Georgian Dream and probably Moscow as well," Fried said.
Fried emphasized that Georgia is experiencing a legitimacy crisis.
"There is a legitimacy crisis in Georgia. The Georgian Dream government seems disturbingly intent on deepening Georgia's isolation, which may even be their goal. This is certainly Moscow's goal—to isolate Georgia's government and thus bring Georgia further under Moscow's control and dependence," Fried explained.
