Georgian Parliament official: ball now in US court, Georgia ready to renew strategic partnership

David Matikashvili, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules, on Friday criticised US Congressman Joe Wilson’s recent statements, calling him “an ordinary hired clerk” and asserting that he could not hinder Georgia-US relations.

Matikashvili’s remarks came after Wilson posted on social media claiming that an amendment was included in a US State Department authorisation act concerning the non-recognition of the Georgian Dream Government.

He said Wilson’s actions were an attempt to “polish his record” after previous failed initiatives, including the so-called MEGOBARI Act.

“Joe Wilson is an ordinary hired clerk who serves whoever pays him. This has been evident multiple times through FARA records in the United States. He is completely incompetent in achieving the goals for which he is paid, and now he needs to somehow polish his record. He created one valuable document called the Friends Act, which was known for everything but friendship with the Georgian people. That failed, he came up short, and now he’s inventing things out of thin air to harm our people. But nothing works out for him”, Matikashvil said.

The official further noted that Georgia remained ready to restore its strategic partnership with the United States on mutually beneficial terms.

“Regarding the reset, we have talked about this multiple times. Today, the Georgian state is fully ready to engage with a country with which it had a strategic partnership, and this partnership was not terminated due to Georgia’s fault. The previous US administration, when Joe Biden was no longer president, cancelled this partnership with our country. Despite the fact that this partnership existed only on paper, it still existed. They cannot clearly explain to the public the reason for cancelling this partnership because there is no reason - it was based on lies. The sanctions on judges and the complete nonsense that was dared in the White House at the time”, he noted.

He emphasised that the decision to reset relations depends on Washington, not Tbilisi, noting that the partnership was suspended by the previous US administration “without reason” and based on “lies”, including sanctions on Georgian judges.

“Today, when the situation has changed, when our political and ideological views align with the Trump administration on many issues, when we are fully ready to start this policy anew with the United States on mutually beneficial terms, the ball is now in the United States’ court, and we are always ready to continue these relations on mutually beneficial terms. I believe figures like Joe Wilson cannot hinder this relationship”, Matikashvili concluded.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday responded to a journalist’s question regarding US Congressman Joe Wilson’s recent statement, highlighting that a million-dollar contract has reportedly been signed for related activities.