Tamar Taliashvili Named Georgia’s New Ambassador to U.S.

Tamar Taliashvili, a former Georgian Dream lawmaker who has served as Georgia’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe, has been named as Georgia’s next ambassador to the United States.

Taliashvili is set to succeed Davit Zalkaliani, who quit his post in December 2024, immediately after the U.S. suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia. The ambassadorial post has remained vacant for the past seven months.

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has issued a relevant decree that the GD-elected president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, will sign. Tamar Taliashvili will assume her role on July 10.

Tamar Taliashvili, a lawyer, has served as Georgia’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe since 2022. She has also held the position of vice president of the CoE’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities since 2018. From 2020 to 2022, she was a member of the Georgian Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party. She also served as a member of the Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo), a local self-government body, from 2014 to 2020.

In 2021, Taliashvili briefly hosted the Georgian Dream Podcast, inviting senior GD officials to discuss ongoing developments in the English language.

The appointment comes at the lowest point in U.S.-Georgian relations, triggered by Georgian Dream’s anti-Western and anti-democratic turn. MEGOBARI Act, which foresees sanctioning Georgian Dream officials for human rights abuses related to the country’s anti-Western shift, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on May 6 and is to be reviewed by the Senate.

Over the past months, the United States has sanctioned several top GD officials, including the party’s founder and honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili. U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan requested a meeting with Bidzina Ivanishvili to convey the Trump administration’s message, but he declined, citing “personal complexes” stemming from sanctions imposed on him.

Despite the Georgian Dream government’s initial hopes that Donald Trump’s return to the White House would lead to an improvement in bilateral relations, the recent open letter from the GD prime minister to President Trump demonstrated frustration with the absence of such progress. Citing “shared values,” GD government officials have expressed hopes of starting anew with a “specific roadmap.” GD officials have cited the ruling party’s “deep state” conspiracy theory to explain current dynamics in U.S.-Georgian relations.

In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S.-Georgia relations are “currently under review,” while referencing the Georgian Dream as an “anti-American government” in response to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson.

Announcing the news of Taliashvili’s appointment on June 10, pro-government Rustavi 2 channel said the Trump administration granted Taliashvili agreement the very day the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan announced her retirement.

Also Read:

• 06/05/2025 – MEGOBARI Act Passes House of Representatives
• 04/03/2025 – GD’s Foreign Minister Meets with US Ambassador Dunnigan

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