The Georgian authorities will do everything possible to reset relations with the United States and the European Union, but the main thing is that counter steps should be taken on the part of the West, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said.
The West accuses the current Georgian authorities of rolling back democracy, anti-Western rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories. Criticism intensified after the parliamentary elections, the results of which all four opposition forces that made it into parliament, the NGOs supporting them and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili refused to recognize, saying they were rigged.
“We do not like the current relations with the US and the EU. We will do everything possible to reset the relations, but the main thing is that we should see counter steps,” Kobakhidze said in an interview with POSTV TV channel.
The head of the government believes that relations between Georgia and the West will be qualitatively and substantially reset immediately after the end of the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, as Kobakhidze noted, the term and date of the reset will be more influenced by the results of the US elections.
“However, as for the reset, I think that the reset of relations will start next year,” Kobakhidze noted.
The head of the government believes that the end of the conflict in Ukraine is directly related to the presidential elections in the United States. At the same time, the Prime Minister is confident that the pressure on the current Georgian authorities will decrease immediately after the end of the conflict.
As for who will be the future master of the White House, the prime minister believes that if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins, the conflict in Ukraine will end sooner than if Democratic rival Kamala Harris wins.
In such a scenario, according to the prime minister, it will take several months, but no matter how the scenario develops, Kobakhidze is confident that the conflict will definitely end next year.
“Interfering in the internal politics of another country is not our business, unlike other countries that actively interfere in our internal political life. This cannot be our M.O. Naturally, the American people will make their own choice,” Kobakhidze said.
After more than 97% of ballots are counted, Trump gets 51.1% of the vote and Harris only 47.4%.
The rift between Georgia and the West
The EU and the US began distancing themselves from Georgia after the passage of the so-called “foreign agents” law this spring - freezing some aid to the government and suspending the country's integration into the EU. The U.S. has imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on some Georgian citizens. And this, as noted, is only the beginning.
The EU has suspended high-level visits to Georgia and all high-level meetings with representatives of the Georgian authorities in Brussels.
In addition, in mid-October it became known that for the same reason the UK suspended the strategic Wardrop Dialogue with Georgia, a new cybersecurity program and canceled high-level defense talks.
Georgian authorities said that transparency is “Europeanness” and that no opponent of the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” has ever presented a single legal argument against it.
Georgian Dream leaders have repeatedly said they hope to reset relations with the United States and the European Union.
Reprinted from https://sputnik-georgia.ru
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