Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday responded to a social media post from the United States Embassy in Tbilisi in which the diplomatic mission claimed the official “was aware” the issue of funds related to Swiss bank Credit Suisse was “in the hands of the courts of Bermuda and Singapore, not of America”.
“The U.S. Embassy cannot cite any instance in which I, or any other leader of the Georgian Dream, accused the U.S. or the European Union of financial blackmail,” stated Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Ivanishvili emphasized that the discussions surrounding financial blackmail do not involve the USA or the European Union, but rather the forces he refers to as the Global War Party.
“The United States Embassy posted a banner on its official Facebook page stating: ‘Bidzina Ivanishvili knows that the money related to Credit Suisse is under the jurisdiction of Bermuda and Singapore courts, not America. Why is he telling Georgians a different story?’ We believe it is appropriate to respond to this statement.
First and foremost, the embassy cannot provide any instance where I, or any other leader of the Georgian Dream, accused the USA or the EU of financial blackmail. When we discussed account theft and financial blackmail, we clearly indicated that neither the USA nor the EU were responsible; it was the forces we term the Global War Party that were involved. We did not hold the USA or the EU accountable for financial blackmail, even when Credit Suisse used the European Parliament’s resolution as a pretext to withhold funds.
Furthermore, we have consistently clarified that when we refer to the Global War Party, we do not include the USA or the EU. However, we have pointed out that the Global War Party holds substantial influence over politicians and bureaucrats in both the USA and the EU. This is the primary reason I refuse to meet with American politicians and bureaucrats until this financial blackmail ends, as there is a strong likelihood they may be influenced by the Global War Party,” Ivanishvili explained.
Additionally, Ivanishvili noted that his lawyers have frequently provided detailed information regarding the financial restrictions imposed on him following the war in Ukraine.
“We have communicated the rationale behind our stance to our American counterparts in writing, and if requested by the Embassy, we are willing to discuss its content publicly. Moreover, my lawyers have often disseminated detailed information to the public concerning the financial restrictions placed on me since the onset of the war in Ukraine. If necessary, I am prepared to authorize my lawyers to release updated information on this issue.
We also wish to highlight that the discussions surrounding oligarchic influences, informal governance, the ‘Deep State,’ and the War Party in the U.S. did not originate with us. This issue has become a prominent theme in the current U.S. presidential campaign. Presidential candidates such as Donald Trump, as well as primary candidates Robert Kennedy Jr. and Vivek Ramaswamy, have actively addressed this topic.
It is precisely the Global War Party that seeks to act against Georgia’s national interests while hiding behind the United States and the European Union, portraying events as if Georgia conflicts not with this force, but with the USA and the European Union,” Ivanishvili asserted.
According to Ivanishvili, the Georgian Dream party is the political force dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the USA and the EU’s reputation in the eyes of the Georgian public.
“In this context, it is the Georgian Dream that strives to safeguard the reputation of the United States and the European Union among the Georgian public while accurately representing ongoing events. If Georgian society comes to believe that the U.S. and the EU are trying to change the government against the will of the Georgian people and restore power to the collective National Movement, it could cause irreparable harm to the image of both the U.S. and the EU.
Such a belief might lead the public to conclude that the authoritarianism, election fraud, killings, torture, business intimidation, seizure of TV stations, war, and territorial losses during Saakashvili’s regime from 2004-2012 were not facilitated by the Global War Party, but rather by the U.S. and the EU. Similarly, the public might perceive that calls in 2022 for Georgia to open a second front—emanating from radical opposition groups, NGOs, and high-ranking officials in the Ukrainian government—were directed not by the Global War Party, but rather by the U.S. and the EU.
Additionally, there is a risk that the perception might arise that the attempts to destabilize the country between 2020 and 2022 were not the result of Global War Party activities, but were orchestrated by the U.S. and the EU.
We are committed to preventing public opinion from moving in this direction, and we will do everything in our power to counteract it. However, we also require cooperation from the American side in this endeavour. The key is to present the Georgian people with the true story, rather than a misleading narrative,” Bidzina Ivanishvili concluded.
