Page 6 - GEORptFeb20
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2.0 Politics
2.1 Georgia government, opposition hire lobby groups in
US as general election approaches
The Georgian government has renewed a lobbying contract with a US firm with ties to American President Donald Trump amid growing Congressional concern over the South Caucasian country’s commitment to democracy, Radio Free Europe has reported. The main opposition party, meanwhile, is working with Randy Scheunemann’s Orion Strategies, a firm that was once hired by the former Georgian government under the leadership of Mikheil Saakashvili, the self-exiled politician now seen as the opposition's informal leader.
The renewed lobbying effort comes as US lawmakers express frustration over what they call "backsliding" on Georgia’s commitments to build democratic institutions.
Chartwell Strategy Group, founded by David Tamasi—who served as finance chair for the Trump Victory Fund—will lobby the White House and Congress on behalf of Georgia, according to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings published by the Justice Department on January 31.
The Georgian government is paying $780,000 per year to Chartwell Strategy Group to “help bring US-Georgia bilateral political and economic ties closer”, according to Business Media Group.
The contract is the second signed by the government with a US lobby group, while the Ministry of Economy has signed two such contracts.
The agreement that United National Movement (UNM) has signed with Orion Strategies is reportedly worth $250,000 per year.
"The registrar will work with the United National Movement to provide representatives of the US Congress and administration with information on current political processes in Georgia, as well as to understand what the United States can do to promote open and democratic processes in Georgia," the contract reads.
2.2 Wave of street protests predicted as Georgia’s president decides to welcome Russia’s Lavrov to Tbilisi
A wave of street protests is the likely response to Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili's announcement that Tbilisi is ready to host Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in May.
The visit is set to take place in relation to Georgia holding the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
“There will be some outcry in Georgia,” Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, told Eurasianet. “It is a very delicate situation, because Georgia has a commitment under international law to host and give
6 GEORGIA Country Report February 2020 www.intellinews.com
