Georgian PM speaks out against criticism of US ambassador
Georgian PM against criticism of American ambassador
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili says it is not in the country’s interests to “spread and deepen” criticism of US Ambassador Kelly Degnan, referring to several deputies who left the ruling party amid criticism of the ambassador. Garibashvili also noted that every person in the country has and “will always have freedom of speech”, and that this is “our main constitutional right.”
Three deputies of the Georgian Dream party Sozar Subari, Mikhail Kavelashvili, and Dimitri Khundadze left their party and parliamentary posts on June 28, and founded the Power of the People movement.
The deputies soon published their first statement, which opponents of the authorities called an anti-Western conspiracy theory. The deputies published several open letters addressed to the American ambassador in which they actually accused Degnan of wanting to “draw Georgia into the war”, supporting the Georgian opposition and plans for “revolution”.
The Prime Minister emphasized instead the importance of good relations with the United States.
“I want to remind all fellow citizens that we are a small country, we are developing our country steadily, and I, as the Prime Minister, our government and our team are obliged and responsible for the stable development of the country, and of course for this it is necessary to have strong allies such as the United States of America, our main strategic partner, and the European countries,” Irakli Garibashvili said.
Garibashvili stressed that his role as the Prime Minister of Georgia is to “strengthen our relations with America and the European Union as much as possible.”
According to Garibashvili, every country, including the United States, “which is the number one state in the world and the most powerful,” has its own interests in all directions. Also, the United States has its representatives everywhere:
“Of course, we respect America, the ambassador and all its representatives, we have very close cooperation. I would also like to say that Ms. Degnan is a very active ambassador and is involved in the fulfillment of all programs sponsored by America. I would like to state the following: that we will not strengthen relations with America by such polemics, but weaken them.”
Georgian PM against criticism of American ambassador
