In a special statement responding to Wednesday’s remarks from the US Embassy in Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said that the Georgian side had offered the US Ambassador a meeting with the Prime Minister — an official who is under neither formal nor informal sanctions and thus has no reason to feel pressured by personal blackmail.
Ivanishvili noted that the Ambassador declined this offer, reinforcing, in his view, suspicions that personal blackmail is being used as a primary tool to influence Georgia’s decisions on matters of state interest.
“They may argue that, as founder and honorary chairman of the ruling party, I exert particular influence on decision-making. But I can assure you that no major decision is made without the involvement of the team — and especially the Prime Minister. Therefore, insisting on a meeting with me alone suggests that such a meeting would only be relevant in the context of personal blackmail,” Ivanishvili stated.
He concluded by expressing hope that the US Embassy would respond positively to the Georgian government’s proposal to reset the Georgian-American strategic partnership. “Each leader of Georgia’s government is fully prepared to engage in this process — if there is genuine interest from the American side — and to work on a concrete roadmap for renewed cooperation,” he said.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has declined a request to meet with US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, who sought to deliver a message from the Trump Administration regarding US-Georgia relations, the US Embassy in Georgia announced.
Related story: US Embassy: GD leader refused meeting with US Ambassador amid tensions
