Ruling party senior MP Samkharadze: Georgia has high hopes for US ties under new administration

Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Nikoloz Samkharadze on Thursday said Georgia has high expectations for relations with the United States following the election of a new US administration.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the conference of the Alliance of Sovereign Nations in Washington, Samkharadze said the Georgian Government believes it shares ideological positions with the new leadership in the United States.

“We have great hope after the election of the new administration in the United States, because ideologically we stand on the same ground. Our values – Christian and traditional values – form the foundation of both our domestic and foreign policy,” he said.

Samkharadze noted that Georgia remains a partially occupied country, with around 20 per cent of its territory under the control of Russia. He said restoring the country’s territorial integrity and ensuring economic prosperity for its citizens remains the Government’s main objective.

He said Georgia has repeatedly faced pressure from what he described as radical left-wing groups, which he said were often supported by Western actors. Samkharadze also alleged foreign interference in Georgia’s elections and internal affairs, including activities by non-governmental organisations funded from the United States and Europe.

“These organisations have worked to undermine the legitimacy of a democratically elected Government and to encourage unrest and violence,” he said.

Samkharadze added that political pressure had also affected members of Georgia’s delegation, including a female politician who he said had been attacked along with her children because of her views.

He hoped that relations between Georgia and the United States would deepen under the new administration and that both countries would work together to defend sovereignty, democracy, freedom of speech and elections.