Parliament Speaker says Georgia has been “model partner” for US not only in region but globally

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the country was a model partner for the United States not only in the South Caucasus region but globally.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that in response to Georgia’s consistent support, both the United States and the European Union had at times demanded actions from Georgia that could lead to further conflict for the country.

“Georgia was a model partner for the United States not only in this region, but also globally. In response, the United States and the European Union demanded that Georgia take steps that would bring another war to our country”, the Speaker said.

“We have supported every war where we were able to contribute. We were in Iraq, Afghanistan, and outpaced almost all NATO member countries, ranking fourth in terms of the number of contingents. We stood by during difficult times, doing the best with what we had. In return, we saw some political groups, whether in the United States or various EU capitals, demanding escalation and reckless behavior from us, which was essentially a direct ticket to another war”, he continued.

He further emphasised that any damage to these relations was not caused by Georgia.

“The clearer the restoration of these relations becomes, and the more the Georgian people see true partnership, the more evident it will be that the new [US] administration has managed to defeat these informal networks”, he concluded.