Georgian Parliament Speaker welcomes swift appointment of new US Ambassador to Georgia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday commented on the potential appointment of a new United States Ambassador to Georgia, stating that it was up to the US administration to decide who would be nominated.

In his remarks, Papuashvili further highlighted a trend where some foreign ambassadors were more focused on worsening relations between countries than improving them.

“We would like to see, and we welcome, the appointment of a new US Ambassador to Georgia as soon as possible, rather than having diplomatic representation remain at the level of a chargé d’affaires”, the Speaker said.

“Unfortunately, we are witnessing a trend where some [foreign] ambassadors are more focused on worsening relations between countries than improving it. We see some diplomats who turn their noses up at Georgia’s democratically elected government while embracing the NGOs they themselves fund - calling the recipients of that funding the people”, he continued.

He further emphasised the need for diplomacy to return to its proper role.

“It is important for diplomacy to return to its rightful place, for ambassadors to return to the essence of diplomacy. In this regard, the appointment of a new Georgian ambassador to the US and a new US ambassador to Georgia are both important steps. This would allow us to start a new chapter in diplomatic relations - one aimed at strengthening, rather than undermining, ties between our countries and governments”, Papuashvili concluded.