U.S. Diplomat Visits Tbilisi

Matthew Bryza, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, arrived in Tbilisi on January 18. He has already met Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili.

On January 19 he will meet opposition leaders. Bryza has recently been heavily criticized by the opposition, especially after he said on Georgian TV a day after the January 5 election, at least according to the translation, that the election had been held without any major violations. In an interview with a local newspaper this week, Tina Khidasheli of the Republican Party, slammed the U.S. position, saying “as everybody knows” it was largely due to Bryza being Saakashvili’s ?personal friend.?

The U.S. diplomat was also criticized by Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rights Party. ?It is  not serious when my friend Matt Bryza tells the opposition just a day or so after the election that it is not right to act in this way [apparently referring to Bryza’s calls to respect the election results] and I will definitely let him know of my complaint when I meet him,? Gamkrelidze said.

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