By Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
US President Barack Obama’s meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili yesterday was not scheduled. Georgian President Shevardnadze started a tradition where a visit to the US was only successful if there was a meeting with the US president. The tradition became even more popular in Georgia during the presidency of Saakashvili.
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili made no visits to the US, stating that he did not want to hear criticism of the arrests of Saakashvili’s functionaries. Obama entered the room when Garibashvili was talking with Vice President Joseph Biden.
Obama expressed his support for Georgian territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic commitment in a short conversation with the Georgian PM. He also thanked Georgia for its assistance in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. No serious bilateral issues were discussed, though no such discussions had been planned, to start with.
Experts see two reasons for such a short, “accidental” meeting. The first theory is that Washington has not chosen the model for relations with Georgia after emergence of the new government (the US are not ignoring Tbilisi and its problems, while it does not make any hasty steps forward after the 2008 war). Another possible explanation is that the US is delicate about protocol affairs. Perhaps the 31-year-old PM’s rank does not match that of the US president.
US President Barack Obama’s meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili yesterday was not scheduled. Georgian President Shevardnadze started a tradition where a visit to the US was only successful if there was a meeting with the US president. The tradition became even more popular in Georgia during the presidency of Saakashvili.Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili made no visits to the US, stating that he did not want to hear criticism of the arrests of Saakashvili’s functionaries. Obama entered the room when Garibashvili was talking with Vice President Joseph Biden.Obama expressed his support for Georgian territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic commitment in a short conversation with the Georgian PM. He also thanked Georgia for its assistance in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. No serious bilateral issues were discussed, though no such discussions had been planned, to start with.Experts see two reasons for such a short, “accidental” meeting. The first theory is that Washington has not chosen the model for relations with Georgia after emergence of the new government (the US are not ignoring Tbilisi and its problems, while it does not make any hasty steps forward after the 2008 war). Another possible explanation is that the US is delicate about protocol affairs. Perhaps the 31-year-old PM’s rank does not match that of the US president
