I haven’t seen China’s pledge for Georgia’s territorial integrity – outgoing US Ambassador

Kelly Degnan, the outgoing United States’ Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday once again responded to Georgia’s establishing of strategic ties with China, telling Radio Liberty she had not seen China’s pledge for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while Tbilisi had made such a promise. 

 

“This [the territorial integrity] is the main priority [of the country]”, pointing to China’s “increasingly close relations” with Russia that occupies 20 percent of the Georgian territories. 

 

The Ambassador also said it was “most important” for her what the Georgian people were telling about her, not the country’s politicians, adding the latter were saying “what they have to say” even when they knew their words “were not true”. 

 

The answer came following the question that she had been the “most criticized” US Ambassador to Georgia by the members of the current Georgian Dream Government. 

 

The diplomat said she would have wished to help the country overcome existing “deep” political polarization while in office 

 

“Courage comes from putting aside differences and being willing to work together. The people of Georgia have made a clear choice for its European future. Every political leader in Georgia should work to accomplish this goal the 85 percent of people of Georgia have said they want”, Degnan said. 

 

She refrained from making any advice to her successor, instead asking the Georgian people to “come out and vote”.