Georgian Parliament official: US should use official channels for messages

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Committee on European Integration of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday commented on a reported statement from the US Department of State over Georgia, the details of which were published by the news agency globalnews.ge.

Makhashvili expressed skepticism about the statement, saying, “it is difficult for me to respond to news that borders on being fake. We don’t even know exactly what it refers to. However, when I read this statement, I felt as if it was about France”.

He further emphasised that if the United States had anything to convey to Georgia, there was a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a diplomatic corps in place for such communication.

“When speaking about Georgia, they should also consider what is happening in France, Romania, or even in their own country. Let’s put it this way. I won’t even go into America’s own experiences. The situation the new US president was subjected to in his own country is a separate topic”, the Parliament official said.

“As for Trump's policies in general, we have a very clear position in this case. There is no need for letters to communicate Trump’s position. There are well-established, official diplomatic channels for that. If the United States has anything to say to Georgia, it knows where and to whom to deliver the message. We would be happy to receive and discuss any such communication”, he continued.

Commenting on issues like the Anaklia port and the Helsinki statement, Makhashvili criticised what he described as a “politics of complaining”, adding that such discussions often take an unconstructive tone.