Ruling Georgian Dream Party outraged by criticism of Ivanishvili
Hogan Lovells, a lobbying firm of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has responded to American congressmen who in a recent letter to the US administration called party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili “Putin’s closest ally” and called for sanctions against him.
The response letter says the criticism of Ivanishvili is unfounded and unproven, and that Georgia has never been closer to the Western world and the United States as it is now, which is in part thanks to the Georgian Dream and its chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili.
On June 9, the US Congress Republican Study Committee released a report titled “Strengthening America and Countering Global Threats.”
This 120-page document named Russia, China and Iran as the main adversaries of the United States, and stated that the congressmen believe that the government should tighten sanctions against all of these countries, as well as their partners and specific politicians.
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Georgia was also mentioned in the section pertaining to Russia.
“Bidzina Ivanishvili, the richest man in Georgia, is a close ally of Putin and involved in destabilizing Georgia on Russia’s behalf,” states the report signed by 13 congressmen.
January 30, 2020, the Georgian Dream Party entered into a one-year contract with the American lobbying firm Hogan Lovells, agreeing to pay $75,000 a month for services. The party has used the services of lobbying companies in the past. In particular, in 2016, during the pre-election period, they hired the Impact Management Group in a $320,000-contract.
