[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 196 (Wednesday, December 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   STANDING WITH OUR GEORGIAN FRIENDS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Republic of Georgia is a beacon of 
democracy in a part of the world which has struggled to break the 
legacy of Soviet oppression. While Georgia successfully achieved 
independence in 1991, Moscow is still attempting to bully the small 
nation back into its orbit.
  In 2008, Russian troops invaded the country, seizing nearly a third 
of Georgia's territory that is still occupied today. Despite Russia's 
persistent human rights abuses and aggressive tactics, the Georgian 
people remain defiant. They continue to express a clear desire to 
determine their own futures and integrate with the Euro-Atlantic 
community. Putin hates Georgia's path to liberty because successful 
democracies positioned on Russia's border are a threat to his despotic 
rule. To deter Russia's continued belligerence, we must boost Georgia's 
ability to defend itself and make an ironclad commitment to our 
Georgian friends. For peace and freedom to preserve in the Caucasus, it 
must become clear to Putin that undermining Georgia's independence will 
be a costly endeavor.
  To help Georgia repel future Russian aggression, Rep. Connolly and I 
have introduced H.R. 6219, the Georgia Support Act. This important bill 
calls on the State Department to provide a strategy to Congress to help 
bolster Georgia's defenses. Specifically, it calls for efforts to 
strengthen Georgia's cyber security capabilities and resiliency to 
Russian disinformation campaigns that undermine its fragile democracy. 
The bill also requests the President to impose sanctions on Russian 
individuals who commit human rights abuses on Georgia territory.
  For more than two decades, Georgia has been a steadfast ally of the 
United States and the Euro-Atlantic community. We must not abandon our 
Georgian friends in the face of continued Russian aggression. To do so 
only invites Putin to further pursue his goal of rebuilding the Soviet 
Empire. America must stand with Georgia and demand complete respect for 
our ally's territorial integrity and sovereignty. This bill must pass 
to send a clear message of defiance to Putin and a message of hope to 
our Georgian friends.
  And that's just the way it is.

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