Georgian Parliament official alleges attempt to sabotage US-Georgia relations amid “reboot” efforts

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Committee on European Integration of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday expressed concern that a recent interview by the outgoing US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan was an attempt to disrupt the ongoing “reboot” of American-Georgian relations.

Makhashvili's comments came in response to Dunnigan's interview with Radio Liberty where she stated that Georgian Dream's Honorary Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili prioritises his personal interests over those of the country.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Makhashvili noted that the relationship between Georgia and the United States was in a delicate “reboot” phase, and there were efforts to undermine this process.

“We are in a cautious process of rebooting the relationship between America and Georgia. The public sees that the Georgian side is very attentive, cautious, weighing every word, so as not to damage the process of rebooting. And suddenly, on this backdrop, we hear such a statement by the outgoing American Ambassador, quite harsh assessments”, the official said.

“For some reason, we have a feeling that this interview is an attempt to provoke us in this process, so to speak, so that someone on our side could be blamed for the delay in rebooting relations. Therefore, I would like to urge everyone, especially the outgoing Ambassador, to be careful with each word she says”, he continued.

Makhasvili further added that the part of Dunnigan's interview related to Ivanishvili was completely incomprehensible, since Ivanishvili explained the reason for refusing to meet with Dunnigan with solid arguments.

“It is completely incomprehensible for the former Ambassador to give such interpretations. [...] You know that we have appointed a new Ambassador [to the US]. The United States of America is also slowly joining this process, so that we can somehow find common ground, and it seems that some people do not like this process”, he concluded.

Ivanishvili refused to meet with Dunnigan in May on the backdrop of the United States sanctions and personal blackmail. He noted that in order to avoid mixing personal and state affairs, Dunnigan should meet with the Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and discuss the country's affairs with him.