Bidzina Ivanishvili issues a statement

The honorary chairman of "Georgian Dream," Bidzina Ivanishvili, has issued a statement explaining why he refused to meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan.

As Ivanishvili explains, "in the context of personal blackmail against me, I consider it inappropriate to meet with the ambassador and discuss state matters."

According to Ivanishvili, "in such circumstances, I would inevitably feel that any decision regarding state matters is being made in exchange for my personal interests, which is fundamentally unacceptable to me."

"Today, the U.S. Embassy in Georgia issued a statement regarding my refusal to meet with the U.S. Ambassador on May 22 to hear a message from 'the Trump administration.' This statement is incomprehensible to me, as the embassy is fully aware of all the details related to this matter.

I confirm that a few days ago, there was indeed communication from the embassy with Georgia’s Prime Minister and other government officials regarding a meeting. The U.S. Ambassador informed the Prime Minister of Georgia that she wished to meet with me to convey a 'message from Secretary Rubio,' to which I expressed deep respect but declined the meeting.

I have previously explained publicly the reason for refusing meetings with the American side, and that reason remains unchanged. I recall that last year, I also declined a meeting with Mr. O’Brien under conditions of personal blackmail when only informal sanctions were in place against me. I had received meeting offers several times before that, and I declined for the same reason, which I explained in writing to the previous administration on multiple occasions.

Since the time of the previous administration, the American side has imposed both informal and later formal sanctions on me. (The informal sanctions against me are enforced in an extremely crude manner. For example, the Swiss bank Julius Baer, despite my legal victory in court, brazenly refuses to release funds that are not subject to any formal sanctions, with American lawyers also involved.)

In the context of such personal blackmail, I consider it inappropriate to meet with the ambassador and discuss state matters. In such circumstances, I would inevitably feel that any decision regarding state matters is being made in exchange for my personal interests, which is fundamentally unacceptable to me. This feeling would persist even if I believed that an agreement could be mutually beneficial. Moreover, this feeling would remain not only with me but also with my team and the public.

I want to emphasize that I have never placed my personal interests above state interests, neither in 2012 nor ten years later in 2022, when, for the sake of state interests, I put my personal interests at great risk.

I also recall that last fall, when informal sanctions were briefly lifted, and certain funds were released, I personally offered to meet with the U.S. Ambassador. She initially agreed, but the meeting was postponed several times and later canceled entirely.

I am so interested in resetting Georgian-American relations that I informed the American side that I was ready to use the blocked funds not for personal purposes but for any purpose they designated, as money has never been, nor is it now, my interest. I clearly explained that the blocked funds create, on the one hand, a sense of constraint and, on the other, a feeling that I must not make decisions under blackmail. However, I received no response to this. As a result, it became clear to me that the Biden administration was not interested in my funds but only in using them for blackmail.

I would also like to clarify that, along with refusing the meeting, we offered the ambassador a meeting with Georgia’s Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is neither under formal nor informal sanctions, and thus, he would have no constraints related to personal blackmail. However, the ambassador declined this offer, which reinforces our belief that they view personal blackmail as the primary factor in the Georgian side’s potential decisions regarding state interests.

They might argue that, as the founder and honorary chairman of the ruling party, I have significant influence over decision-making. However, I want to assure you that no principled decision in the ruling party is made without the involvement of the team, and especially the Prime Minister. Therefore, the demand to meet only with me can only be explained by the fact that such a meeting is valuable only in the context of personal blackmail.

I hope the U.S. Embassy will respond positively to the Georgian government’s offer to renew Georgian-American strategic partnership from a clean slate with a concrete roadmap. Every leader of the Georgian government expresses full readiness to actively engage in the process of resetting Georgian-American relations if the American side shows genuine interest," said Bidzina Ivanishvili in his statement.