The U.S. House of Representatives this week condemned the Russian Federation's occupation of disputed land in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which the Russians bombed in 2008 and whose Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions remain occupied (see the above video statement from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL).
What the U.S. government is playing down, however, is the fact that the Obama administration simultaneously is helping to finance power infrastructure projects in Georgia that directly benefit U.S. ally United Arab Emirates, whose Ras al-Khaimah monarchy controls a sprawling industrial complex undergoing expansion on the Black Sea coast.
As this writer reported this week via WND:
Although the Obama administration claims U.S.-funded power infrastructure projects in the nation of Georgia will boost energy security and stability in the former Soviet republic, WND has uncovered corollary beneficiaries of this foreign assistance: Arab royals...
However, the agency is not advertising the fact that one of the United Arab Emirates monarchies manages the zone. Indeed, Poti FIZ is an investment project of the Ras al-Khaimah Investment Authority, also known as RAKIA...
The latest USAID action undertaken under the GIPT program was an $18 million contract awarded earlier this month to rebuild a stretch of power lines and substations that ultimately will benefit the zone... USAID additionally intends to provide an unspecified level of financial support to build a 47-kilometer natural-gas pipeline [See: "Arab royals profit from U.S. power project"].
It must be noted that the UAE's presence is made possible under a business agreement with the Government of Georgia, whereas the Russian presence is by military aggression.
Ros-Lehtinen also said of the Russo-Georgian controversy, "“Russia’s aggression against Georgia poses a threat to the security of the entire region. This resolution sends a strong message that Russian actions and continued military presence in these areas are unacceptable and must end immediately.”
The House approved H.Res. 526 by voice vote.
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