Parliament Speaker accuses previous US administration of damaging Georgian-American relations

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday accused the previous US administration of severely undermining Georgian-American relations through actions aimed at destabilising Georgia.

Speaking to journalists about an open letter sent by Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili to his American counterpart Donald Trump, Papuashvili claimed that American funds had been misused to promote destabilisation and fabricated ideologies in Georgia.

“This is yet another confirmation of the position we have been voicing for a long time: unfortunately, the previous US administration severely damaged Georgian-American relations by funding destabilisation in Georgia, financing fabricated ideologies, and attempting to change the Georgian Government from the outside”, the Speaker said.

He further asserted that these actions had been exposed by the current administration, validating Georgia’s longstanding concerns.

“All of this was exposed by the new administration, Donald Trump’s administration, confirming that yes, American funds were used for destabilisation. Yes, American funds were used to spread false ideologies, and so on. Therefore, today, Trump’s administration has essentially confirmed everything we have been talking about”, he noted.

Papuashvili emphasised the need to move forward from this low point in bilateral relations, proposing a new strategic partnership to align the interests of both nations.

“Consequently, the next logical step would be to find a way to move forward from the low point in our relations. We have proposed a path. This path is the establishment of a new strategic partnership, which would clearly outline the interests of the American people and the Georgian people, and which both countries and their governments would faithfully implement”, he continued.

He expressed disappointment at the lack of reciprocal steps from the US, noting that as a small country, Georgia had limited influence over such processes.

“This is what we are proposing, and it is unfortunate that we have not yet seen reciprocal steps. Of course, everything now lies in the hands of the United States administration. As a small country, we cannot have significant influence over such processes. Naturally, the United States administration can do this very easily”, Papuashvili concluded.