Ruling party claims it never attacks US Ambassador

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze said Friday that “there were no attacks” on the US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan by the party officials, but only “legitimate questions were asked.” 

The US Department of State condemned attacks on Degnan on Thursday over a judge issue, who claimed that the embassy exercised pressure on him for his verdict in the case of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel head Nika Gvaramia in May.

“There were no such attacks. Our questions related to two issues: the first was related to the fact of possible pressure on the judge by a particular employee of the Embassy. When a judge accuses an employee of the US Embassy of pressure on behalf of the American Ambassador, of course, it is our responsibility to ask questions, and in no case It cannot be considered as an attack,” Kobakhidze said. 

The US Department of State on Thursday condemned attacks on US Ambassador to Georgia Degnan by “some Georgian officials, stating that ‘”Degnan has our full support.” 

 

“The rhetoric from some Georgian officials recently, however, seems intended to distract Georgia’s citizens from that goal. Ambassador Degnan and her team at our embassy in Tbilisi are committed to working with the people of Georgia in support of their Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Ambassador Degnan has our full support,” Spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday.  

 

He stated that “disinformation and personal attacks on Ambassador Degnan or her team are not consistent with how partners communicate with one another, and we will continue to focus on supporting our shared goals. We have worked shoulder to shoulder for 30 years on democratic reforms, economic development, and security cooperation. This remains unchanged.”