“I do not necessarily think that it is ultimately up to the friends of Georgia to deliever Georgia from actions by Georgians. We will be supportive of Georgians finding a right solution for Georgia, but it has to be completely owned by the Georgian actors in Tbilisi with our support,” said George Kent, deputy assistant secretary at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the US Department of State.

George Kent participated in an online event Political crisis in Georgia organized by the Atlantic Council.

According to the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, the US and EU ambassadors should continue to facilitate the dialogue between the Georgian Dream party and the opposition. However, it is unrealistic to expect that someone from the United States will take a quick trip from Washington to Tbilisi in the next two weeks.

George Kent said he believes that both sides lacked political will and committments. 

“If they are serious about Georgia’s future, I personally believe leading actors on both sides of the political divide do have a shared agreement on where Georgia should go and that is reflected in all opinion polls. Over 75 percent of Georgian population wants and support both EU and NATO membership as their future. The value-based communities and the leadering lights need to model these behaviors in order for Georgia to have successful future,” George Kent said.

Participants of the online meeting discussed the current political situation in Georgia, ways to deescalate and ensure Georgia’s democratic future.