US Ambassador criticizes Bidzina Ivanishvili’s refusal to meet amid sanction claims

In an interview with Radio Free Europe, Robin Dunnigan, the US Ambassador to Georgia, revealed that she has never met Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party. She noted that both she and three senior American officials had requested meetings with him, but Ivanishvili declined all invitations.

Dunnigan expressed concern about Ivanishvili’s refusal to engage with international stakeholders and strategic partners, especially given his prominent role in the government.

“I think it’s problematic when someone known to control the government and the ruling party in this country refuses to meet with international parties due to his own misconceptions about financial sanctions imposed on him,” she stated. “He is prioritizing his private financial interests over the interests of the Georgian people.”

She emphasized that the US has not imposed financial sanctions on Ivanishvili or his family members, countering his claims regarding “de facto sanctions” against him. “There was information suggesting that we did this, but that is not true,” Dunnigan clarified.

The ambassador highlighted that Ivanishvili is currently involved in legal disputes related to his finances with Credit Suisse, which are being handled in courts in Bermuda and Singapore, not with the US government. She also noted that his international lawyers do not contend that the US has imposed any sanctions on him.

“I do not understand why a person in his position, who has a perception of his own finances, would refuse to engage in sincere, direct conversations with the honorable leader and chairman of his party—and, in many ways, the leader of this government—alongside partners who have supported Georgia for the past 32 years,” Dunnigan concluded.