**Georgian Leader Refuses to Meet US Ambassador Due to “Personal Blackmail”**
In a statement, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of Georgia’s ruling party “Georgian Dream,” has explained why he refused to meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan. According to Ivanishvili, the reason for his refusal is due to what he describes as “personal blackmail” by the American side.
Ivanishvili stated that he considers it inappropriate to meet with the ambassador and discuss state matters in such circumstances. He explained that he would inevitably feel that any decision regarding state matters is being made in exchange for his personal interests, which he finds fundamentally unacceptable.
**Background on “Personal Blackmail”**
Ivanishvili has previously spoken about how he has been subjected to informal sanctions by the American side. He claims that these sanctions have been enforced in a crude manner, with Swiss banks such as Julius Baer refusing to release funds despite his legal victory in court.
The Georgian leader also recalled that last year, he declined a meeting with Mr. O’Brien under similar conditions of personal blackmail when only informal sanctions were in place against him. He had received multiple meeting offers before, but declined for the same reason, which he explained in writing to the previous administration on multiple occasions.
**No Meeting, No Sanctions?**
Ivanishvili emphasized that he has never placed his personal interests above state interests and that he is interested in resetting Georgian-American relations. He offered to meet with the U.S. Ambassador last fall when informal sanctions were briefly lifted, but the meeting was postponed and later canceled.
The Georgian leader also stated that he is willing to use blocked funds for any purpose designated by the American side. However, he received no response to this offer, leading him to believe that the Biden administration is not interested in his funds but rather in using them for blackmail.
**A Meeting with the Prime Minister?**
In addition to refusing a meeting with the U.S. Ambassador, Ivanishvili offered her a meeting with Georgia’s Prime Minister instead. The Prime Minister is neither under formal nor informal sanctions and would have no constraints related to personal blackmail. However, the ambassador declined this offer, which reinforces the Georgian side’s belief that personal blackmail is the primary factor in their potential decisions regarding state interests.
**A Call for Renewed Partnership**
Ivanishvili hopes that 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 has expressed full readiness to actively engage in the process of resetting Georgian-American relations if the American side shows genuine interest.
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