A reception dedicated to Independence Day was held at the Embassy of the United States of America. The official reception was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, members of the Georgian Dream and the opposition, the non-governmental sector and the media.

“July 4th marks the day America’s Founding Fathers declared independence. It is the day Americans committed to building a nation based on fundamental freedoms and democratic values. For 246 years, Americans have reaffirmed that commitment through our efforts to strengthen and improve our democracy, to protect the rights of all people, and to promote peace and prosperity in America and around the world.

We fought for these freedoms and democratic values 246 years ago, and we are defending them today, through our support to those fighting for their freedom and sovereignty, including in Ukraine. As President Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be defended, protected, and handed on for our children to do the same.

The will to defend freedom, independence, and democracy is something Georgians and Americans share. It is not because we want war. On the contrary. It is because we deeply believe that freedom and democracy are the surest path to peace.

Georgians and Americans know that nothing about the fight for freedom is easy – whether in 1776 in America, 1921 in Georgia, through two World Wars in Europe, or the collapse of the Soviet Union. We saw this in Russia’s unjustified invasion of Georgia in 2008, and we see it in the latest battle for freedom in Putin’s barbaric war against Ukraine: a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between a modern rules-based order that has brought stability and prosperity to Europe for over 75 years and an autocratic regime governed by brute force, oppression, and fear”, - said Kelly Degnan.