The Georgian Dream was bombarded with messages from the United States

US President Donald Trump has written a letter to his Georgian counterpart Mikhail Kavelashvili. In it, the American spoke in favor of developing economic ties and strengthening cooperation between their countries. This is exactly what the ruling Georgian Dream has been waiting for since Trump’s inauguration. However, the celebration of recognition of the legitimacy of the Georgian authorities was overshadowed by two other messages from Washington.

A day late, but Trump nevertheless congratulated the Georgian leadership on Independence Day. “Mr. President, today is the 107th anniversary of Georgia’s independence, an epochal date in the struggle of the Georgian people for sovereignty, security and national identity, which continues from generation to generation amid severe difficulties and challenges. My administration is committed to strengthening peaceful and fruitful relations with the Government of Georgia,” he wrote to Kavelashvili.

In this regard, the Georgian Dream hastened to announce a blow to the opposition, which hoped that Trump would continue the same policy as his predecessor Joseph Biden. Now the government is waiting for the new owner of the White House to overload US-Georgian relations, including abandoning sanctions pressure. In addition, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that he is ready to appoint an ambassador to the United States in the near future. Washington already knows the candidate’s name, it remains to wait for his consent.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Georgia said that on May 22, the head of the diplomatic mission, Robin Dunnigan, requested a meeting with the founder of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. She was going to deliver a message from the Trump administration to the informal head of Georgia. In particular, it listed specific steps that the republic’s authorities should take to convince Washington of the seriousness of their desire to reset relations. Ivanishvili refused the meeting.

In addition, a few hours before the Georgian president released the letter he received from Trump, US military intelligence reported on the creation of conditions by the Georgian Dream to strengthen Moscow’s influence on the republic. “Russia is almost certainly seeking to return Georgia to its sphere of influence. After the parliamentary elections in October, the Georgian Dream–led government created an environment that allows Russia to strengthen its influence in the country,” the report says.

Kobakhidze called the assessment of American intelligence officers “nonsense” three times in one comment. “You know that’s complete nonsense. What kind of influence are we talking about? It’s just nonsense. The fact that such nonsense is found in such important documents testifies to the influence of the deep state,” the head of government said.

In turn, the opponents of the Georgian Dream noted that their country was given only two lines in the report. According to former Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khedasheli (who served from 2015 to 2016), this proves that relations between Tbilisi and Washington are at zero. Otherwise, in her opinion, the Americans would not only have stated that there was a problem, but also told them what could be done to solve it.

“It is hardly possible to talk about the beginning of some kind of thaw in relations between the Georgian Dream and the US leadership. As far as we know, Washington’s demands have not changed: the Georgian government must return to the path of democratic development. Among other things, it is necessary to hold fair elections, which may result in Ivanishvili’s loss of power and subsequent imprisonment. He understands this perfectly well, so he avoided meeting with the US ambassador. They just have nothing to talk about. Without friendship with Washington, Ivanishvili may become a little poorer, but he will still be the richest man in the country,” political analyst Nika Chitadze told NG.

Viktor Kipiani, head of the Geocase Center, believes that the main condition for the United States to reset relations is to weaken the control of the Georgian Dream over the political processes in the republic. At the same time, Ivanishvili’s key task remains to maintain full power in his hands, and he does not intend to make concessions on this issue.

“The United States has twice tried to convey its position to Ivanishvili. The first time this happened was in March, when Ambassador Dunnigan met with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili. The second one was on May 22, when Ivanishvili refused to meet with Dunnigan,” Kipiani stressed.

From the expert’s point of view, no congratulatory letters will be able to cover the crisis in relations between the United States and Georgia. Also, if the Georgian Dream continues to stand its ground, it may receive new American sanctions in the foreseeable future. “The United States is currently adopting the so–called “Act of Friendship,” which may become the basis for future coercive measures,” Kipiani concluded.