For Georgia’s MP Sharashidze: Meeting with American side was interesting; GD must return to democratic development

“It was a significant and interesting meeting with the American side. Naturally, the American delegation’s interest lies in obtaining more information about the political processes currently unfolding in Georgia,” declared MP Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia party, following his meeting with representatives of the United States State Department.

Sharashidze stated that the American side is fully aware of the extent to which Georgian Dream is damaging Georgia’s democratic future.

“The meeting placed particular emphasis on foreign policy, including our recent resolution on the treaty concluded between Russia and the so-called Autonomous Republic of South Ossetia, on which, regrettably, Georgian Dream has yet to utter a single word. Naturally, it was important for our American partners to understand this. They are, of course, fully informed as to how severely Georgian Dream is harming Georgia’s democratic future. Our American partners also expect Georgian Dream to take the very concept of “reset” seriously. Public statements alone are not sufficient; concrete actions are needed if Georgia is to return to a genuinely democratic path. Otherwise, I fear we should not expect the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States to be restored.

The very fact that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Armenia on Georgia’s Independence Day, and not in Georgia, is yet another message to our country that we should not expect the restoration of high-level meetings and strategic relations for as long as Georgian Dream itself is not prepared to take meaningful steps. Any visit, at whatever level, is important to us. This visit, too, was important. What matters above all is that Georgian Dream sees fit to return to the principles in which America has invested enormous resources; by that I mean, first and foremost, democratic development,” Sharashidze declared.