Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell Says Russia Is a Threat
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, September 13
United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell says Russia represents a threat.
Assistant Secretary of State made the statement at the international conference “World in 2018: Upside Down” in Tbilisi.
While delivering speech Wess Mitchell talked about the threats coming from Russia and readiness of the civilized world to face the challenges.
“Earlier, they used to say that Russia is no threat. Now, they have woken up in the West and realized that Russia is a threat. It's a pity that we have not woken up even after the Russia-Georgia war and this fact became the precondition for starting the war in Ukraine,” he stated.
According to Assistant Secretary of State, Russian President Vladimir Putin is a threat, and he is carrying out aggression.
“We must say goodbye to the argument that Russia is weak; we must say goodbye to the idea that economic stagnation in Russia is weakening Russia. Putin is a threat, and he is carrying out aggression, "said Wess Mitchell, adding the US will continue supporting Georgia and assisting it.
Assistant Secretary of State also met the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze.
The conversation during the meeting involved the key issues of Georgia-US bilateral relations, including defense field.
As it was pointed out, the US, as Georgia's strategic partner, unequivocally supports Georgia's territorial integrity and the country's Euro-Atlantic and European integration policy.
The parties discussed the challenges facing the region and emphasized the maximal use of free trade opportunities.
The parties also discussed recent developments in the occupied territories of Georgia - Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It was underlined that Georgia enjoys strong bipartisan support in US Congress, as evidenced by the recently initiated resolutions, as well as by the act in support of Georgia.
The PM and the US Assistant Secretary of State also discussed Mamuka Bakhtadze's upcoming visit to the US on September 16. It was emphasized that the first US visit of the Prime Minister of Georgia will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss with the country's main strategic partner all fundamental issues of relations defined in the Georgia-US Charter on Strategic Partnership.
Wess Mitchell also held a meeting with the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili.
