Georgian Government's Delay in Democratic Reforms Backfired, Ned Price says
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
The US State Department spokesman, Ned Price, was asked about the rhetoric of the Georgian Dream in relation to America at the press conference.
"We expressed concern about some disturbing statements," Price said in response to the question of how he would assess the comments of lawmakers who "claim that the US is trying to drag Georgia into a war."
"We have expressed concern about some disturbing statements that we have heard are coming from corners of the Georgian political system and Georgian society. We have expressed concern about some of the government's actions. Government actions, including delaying or rolling back important democratic reforms, have backfired. They caused a setback to the clear, unwavering aspirations of the Georgian people towards EU membership and wider Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We are concerned about these actions because they have also deepened the polarization in Georgian society, instead of promoting the unification of the country around the core issues of Euro-Atlantic integration. We are seeing a level of polarization that is not good for the country. This is not useful for Georgia's broader political aspirations", said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Ned Price's statement makes it clear who is responsible for the fact that we still do not have the status of a candidate, and it is likely that if "Georgian Dream" continues like this, the country will not be able to receive the status, "Lelo" MP Salome Samadashvili said, thus responding to Ned Price's statement.
According to her, the representative of the highest US government exactly repeats the assessment of the society, the opposition and the non-governmental sector in the country.
"What we saw in Ned Price's statement is that the current government of Georgia has jeopardized the implementation of reforms in the country, this is a setback that has jeopardized our future in the European Union. Of course, it is good when a representative of the highest US government accurately repeats the assessment that the public has in our country, both the opposition and the non-governmental sector, and once again makes it clear who is responsible for the fact that we still do not have the status of a candidate and Probably, if "Georgian Dream" continues like this, it will not be accepted. This assessment echoes the decision of "Georgian Dream" to strengthen the judicial clan, I personally would treat this message very carefully, because it is a very clear message that as long as Ivanishvili and the Georgian Dream rule this country, there will be no progress," said Samadashvili.
