Parliament Speaker says Georgian Dream party has been US most loyal regional partner

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said the United States had had few partners in the region as loyal as the Georgian Dream Government over the past 13 years.

In his remarks, Papuashvili emphasised Georgia’s consistent and fundamental approach to partnership with the United States.

“Over the past 13 years, the United States has had few partners in the [South Caucasus] region as loyal as the Georgian Dream Government. We stood by the US during the Afghanistan mission when many NATO members shied away from conflict. Georgian troops were there, supporting the United States, even providing financial concessions”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili noted that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s position on US-Georgia relations was clear, adding that the Biden administration had previously ignored these efforts.

Papuashvili’s comments came after Bidzina Ivanishvili’s letter, where he said that, due to personal blackmail, he considered it wrong to meet with the US Ambassador and discuss state affairs.

“Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili has stated his position multiple times, and the fact that the Biden administration did not pay attention to this at the time was unfortunate in this regard. We have demonstrated good faith and openness in our partnership, as we did when former US Ambassador Kelly Degnan sought a meeting with Ivanishvili. We remain consistent and will continue to remind others of this”, he concluded.