Ruling party head vows Gov’t will “do its best” to have “proper relations” with US, EU
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the Georgian Government would “do its best” to have “proper relations” with both the United States and the European Union. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the Georgian Government would “do its best” to have “proper relations” with both the United States and the European Union.
Kobakhidze was commenting on the letter of the founder of the Georgian Dream party and the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who had said that the Government should “largely shift its attention to another most important priority and ensure that Georgia's relations with its strategic partner, the United States and the European Union, are not damaged”.
We will, of course, do everything to have proper relations with the United States and the European Union. It is very important to receive the [European Union] membership candidate status, for which we are actively working. [...] We will do our best”, the GD official said.
In the letter released on Wednesday Bidzina Ivanishvili said that Georgia had repeatedly proven that it was “loyal” to European values.
Since the restoration of independence 30 years ago, the Georgian people have shown once again that dignity, freedom and independence are their key values. At the same time, Georgian society has proved that despite its short democratic experience, it has the wisdom to deal with the most difficult challenges with dignity”, Ivanishvili said.
The founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who left politics in January 2021, said on Wednesday the United States Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan had requested a meeting with him in March of this year, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the two holding a three-hour discussion.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday said the former Prime Minister and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili was no longer involved in the domestic politics “in any way”, “regardless of whether his opponents want to believe it or not”.
In a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said allegations on the Georgian Government being run by the former Prime Minister and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili were “offensive to me personally and to my country”.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said allegations on the Government not being independent were “insulting” and led to “increasing polarisation” in the country’s domestic political environment.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has sued three opposition-minded channels - Mtavari Arkhi, TV Pirveli and Formula - for releasing a political ad in non-election period with “misleading and slanderous” content ahead of the June 24 pro-European rally organised by groups critical of the Government, the channels confirmed on Tuesday.