U.S. Ambassador Decries “Heartbreaking and Disappointing” Disinformation about U.S., EU

On June 14, the Ambassador of the United States of America, Robin Dunnigan, spoke about the disinformation spread in Georgia about EU accession and U.S.-Georgian relations. She was speaking at an event dedicated to the presentation of life stories of people who lived during the USSR regime at Ilia State University. In her speech, she reiterated U.S. support for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and stressed that EU integration doesn’t mean giving up one’s cultural identity.

Ambassador Dunnigan noted, “There are some [in Georgia] who claim that we are a “global war party”, or that we have tried to foment Revolution in this country, or that we have nefarious intentions here… our history in this country over 32 years is a history of strong people to people ties, of deep friendships between Americans and Georgians, of partnerships in the medical field, in the education field, in sharing agriculture techniques, helping each other strengthen our defense forces.” She said such false narratives were “heartbreaking and disappointing” and reiterated that the US is committed to “to the Georgian people’s aspirations to become a member of the EU, to strengthen the Euro-Atlantic trajectory.”

Amb. Dunnigan said the purported threat posed by the EU to the Georgian identity was also “completely false.” “All you have to do is drive through the EU and cross a border and […] when you go from Austria to Italy, there is no question that you keep your cultural identity,” the Ambassador said.

She put her comments in the context of the event, saying the life stories of people who suffered during the Soviet Union help preserve the truth and help future generations understand the traumas caused by the Soviet regime and the resilience it brought to the Georgian people.

Amb. Dunnigan pointedly stressed that “it serves as a reminder to everyone that the Soviet regime here routinely called Georgians, who tried to tell the truth, agents or foreign agents.” The ruling majority has recently pushed through the legislation that would brand civil society groups and media receiving foreign financing as “acting in the interests of foreign countries.” This “foreign agents law” has been widely decried by the U.S. as well as the EU. A first in what is sought to be a series of sanctions was announced by the U.S. State Department against the individuals involved in the repression of the opponents of this law.

Also Read:

• 06/06/2024 – BREAKING: US State Department Implements First Tranche of Sanctions against Georgian Individuals
• 24/05/2024 – GD Accuses U.S. of “Blackmail”, Downplays Restrictions
• 24/05/2024 – Georgian People’s Act Envisaging Sanctions and Review of US-Georgia Relations Introduced in U.S. Senate
• 15/05/2024 – Senators: Congress to consider a shift in U.S. policy toward Georgia 
• 14/05/04 – Assistant Secretary O’Brien Warns of “Consequences” in His Final Briefing
• 14/05/04 – The White House Ready to “Fundamentally Reassess” Relations with Georgia over Agents’ Law

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)