Members of Parliament Teona Akubardia, Khatuna Samnidze, Tamar Kordzaia, Ana Natsvlishvili and Ana Buchukuri issued a joint statement and responded to the “organized attack against US Ambassador Kelly Degnan”.

“By the hereof joint letter, we would like to respond to the organized attack of some “Georgian Dream” members or the “retired” members on the US Ambassador, Mme. Kelly Degnan and their openly misleading narrative on the alleged attempts of the USA to engage Georgia in the war, which boosts the anti-Western campaign in Georgia and contradicts our national interests.

We believe that this triggered misleading campaign that our colleagues are engaged in poses a threat to our national security interests and that’s why we would like to once again explain to them and to our society that the war is a continuation of Russian politics through different methods.

It is quite simple to explain the reasons why Kremlin strives to support the misleading statements about the USA trying to drag Georgia into the war: Russia started the war against Georgia resulting in the protracted occupation, thousands of IDPs in their own homeland, militarization and annexation of our territories by Russia. And we are still in this war, where Russia uses hybrid war tactics since it is interested in bringing Georgia back under own control and influence and exercising the domestic and foreign policy according to the Russian agenda. Russia, using the hybrid war tactics, opposes the values of Georgia that we share with the West, which is enshrined in the respect to the sovereignty of the country, democratization, provision of welfare and security, as well as the EU and NATO integration to create additional security and welfare umbrella for Georgia.

Hereby, we provide simple arguments of the disinformation about the alleged desire of the USA to drag Georgia into the war:

The USA is a key strategic partner to Georgia serving as a pillar for the non-recognition policy of the territories occupied by Russia and hence, the territorial integrity and sovereignty principles, as well as the democracy and welfare of the country and the integration into NATO. For years, the bi-party approved Act by the - US Law-makers on Support of Georgia underlines the intact support of the USA to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia as the NATO aspirant country, and the right of the Georgian citizens to determine the future, foreign and security policy of their country without the interference or coercion by another country;
The USA, starting from the second half of the XX century, supports the geopolitical role of Georgia as an alternative energy medium in the region and the provider energy corridor for the energy resources of the Caspian Sea to the West. Against the background of the war in Ukraine, the agreement has been just recently concluded on doubling the gas supply from Azerbaijan to Europe that lies through Georgia, which evidences that the West and USA are interested in peace in Georgia;
Georgia is not only an important energy corridor but a logistic and transport hub country between the West and East. Against the background of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the cargo turnover through Georgia has been intensified and new logistic capacities stand as yet another argument that the West is interested in peace in Georgia and the wider region;
Backed by the USA, Georgia strengthened its role as a mediator in the achievement of long-term peace and stability after the second war in Nagorno-Karabakh. The exchange of the war prisoners between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the mediation of Georgia, as well as hosting the direct talks between the Foreign Ministers of the neighboring countries in Tbilisi evidence that the USA and West are interested in long-term peace and welfare in the region;
Against the background of the increasing Russian military aggression, the US Congress initiated a significant Bill on July 12, 2022, reapproving the growing interest of the USA and solid support to Georgia and the wider region.

It is noteworthy that the Bill envisages intensified military support to Georgia along with other NATO member states, which underlines the importance of the close economic cooperation of the USA with the regional countries and the provision of energy security. Against the background of the balance of the strategic powers at the Black Sea disordered in favor of Russia (by occupying Abkhazia and its coastal line by Russia in 1993, and annexation of Crimea in 2014), Georgia acquires even more particular function in the Black Sea Security Initiative by NATO.

As the NATO aspiration country, Georgia diversely contributes to the NATO Black Sea Security Initiative, including the mutual exchange of information, visits and joint exercises of NATO member states’ military fleet in our waters, and the improvement of inter-operability; this cooperation and joint efforts boosts the security of Georgia and the wider Black Sea region;

The USA aids Georgia against the Russian misleading campaign and informative war through the enhancement of the strategic communication and intensification of the national resistance to the Russian hybrid war, which has been estimated as a threat by Georgia;
The USA, for years, aids our Defense Forces in the enhancement of the defense capacity and inter-operability with NATO to, even in case of external military aggression against Georgia prior to the accession to NATO, enable Georgia to maintain sovereignty. It is as well noteworthy to stress the greatest role of the USA in the accomplishment of the August 2008 War and the practical aid to soothe the war-affected damage;
In view to ensuring the common values and the security of Georgia, the USA has allocated 6 bl. USD during 30 years through certain practical programs; and engagement in the war with Russia will put our vital common interests under acute threat.

And finally, based on the above-mentioned arguments, we try to clarify that the misleading statements and the anti-Western campaign decline and undermine the declared interests of Georgia and enhance the goal of the informative war by Russia.

Hence, we call on our colleagues in the Parliament to act in line with the declared national security interests of the country; we also call on the Georgian Government to timely and adequately respond to the misleading campaign aiming at bolstering the anti-Western attitudes, against the common Western values and declining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country”, - reads the letter.