Tbilisi (AFP) – The billionaire chief of Georgia’s ruling party — widely seen as the Caucasus country’s most powerful figure — has refused to meet the US ambassador, the American embassy said Wednesday. The diplomatic snub comes as ties between Washington and Tbilisi have sunk to their lowest level in years, with the United States repeatedly condemning Georgia for democratic backsliding, its violent crackdown on protestors, and its move to suspend talks on joining the European Union.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country’s richest person and key power broker, is among those hit with US sanctions and visa restrictions put in place under ex-president Joe Biden. “Bidzina Ivanishvili has refused to meet with Ambassador (Robin) Dunnigan to hear a message from the Trump Administration,” the US embassy said in a statement. Officials from Ivanishvili’s ruling Georgian Dream party have dismissed Washington’s sanctions pressure as blackmail.
The embassy said the meeting had been requested by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, so the US envoy could “again relay specific steps the Georgian government can take to show it is serious about resetting its relationship with the United States.” “It is our hope that the Georgian government sincerely wishes to return to 33 years of partnership and friendship with America and the American people,” it added. Dunnigan, a career diplomat, was appointed by Biden but has continued as ambassador to Georgia under Trump.
Critics accuse the Georgian Dream party of moving Tbilisi away from the West and closer to Russia, with whom Georgia fought a brief war in 2008. Ivanishvili said it was “inappropriate” for him to meet with the US ambassador due to sanctions against him, and said the ambassador had refused to meet Georgia’s prime minister. “Against the backdrop of such personal blackmail, I believe it would be inappropriate for me to meet with the ambassador and discuss matters of state,” the billionaire said.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze on Tuesday accused Washington of being controlled by the “deep state,” echoing language frequently employed by President Donald Trump. “We want relations with a United States that is free from the deep state — a relationship with an independent, sovereign country — and that is what we are waiting for,” Kobakhidze said. Georgia has been rocked by protests since Georgian Dream shelved talks on joining the European Union shortly after disputed parliamentary elections last October.
© 2024 AFP
