Seems US “fed up” by “incomprehensible tone” of Georgian gov’t – opposition MP

Opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili said on Tuesday that “as it seems the US fed up” by the “incomprehensible tone” of the Georgian Dream authorities, in response to the recent critical comments of the US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price.  

“Ned Price, as a private person, does not speak what he has to say, he speaks on behalf of the [US] department of state. This statement was absolutely expected. The Georgian Dream MPs had insulted the American government and the European Union so much, I kept saying, the reaction would come from there”, Elisashvili said. 

“All this time the Georgian Dream was not only playing with fire, but had its hands in the fire and could not understand how it was harming the interests of the Georgian state when it spoke in such a dismissive and arrogant tone”, the MP added. 

Price stated on Tuesday that “we’ve voiced our concern about some of the government’s actions. The government’s actions, including stalling or moving backward on important democratic reforms, have created setbacks”. 

He stated that the concerns had been voiced “about some of the troubling statements that we have heard emanating from some corners of Georgia’s political system and Georgian society”.

“They [the government actions] have created setbacks to the clear, overwhelming aspirations of the people of Georgia for EU membership and for broader EU Euro-Atlantic aspiration. These actions – we’re concerned because they have also deepened polarization within Georgian society rather than unify the country around the core issues of Euro-Atlantic integration. There has been a degree of polarization which is not helpful for the country. It is not helpful for Georgia’s broader political aspirations”, Price said. 

Price stated that “having said all that, we remain committed to working with Georgia to make the reforms needed to meet its Euro-Atlantic goals”, and urged Georgia to “demonstrate its commitment to EU integration by adopting reforms necessary to move forward on that path”.