Kelly Degnan speaks about 12 recommendations of EU and sanctioned list demanded from Ukrainian side
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
"Georgian leaders and all Georgians should focus on the 12 recommendations of the European Union. There is considerable opportunity for a country to conduct a very normal process of having differing opinions on how to address these 12 recommendations. This will send a very strong signal to the European Union," US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan said.
According to her, it is important to combine different views related to the 12 recommendations.
"Good work is underway on how to implement the 12 recommendations, now the task is to gather these views into a single document, where the diverse views of Georgia will be represented. Ambassador also noted that "The EU wants to see the unity of these voices, a strong response to the 12 recommendations, in which many voices will be united,".
When asked how she evaluates the comments of the representatives of the Georgian government regarding the fact that the participants of the "Glory to Ukraine" international conference in Tbilisi are enemies of Georgia, the ambassador replied that the mentioned conference is a very good way to exchange thoughts and ideas on important topics.
"The United States is a supporter of inclusive dialogue, and we believe that this is a very necessary thing. This conference is an opportunity to exchange ideas. This year's conference focuses on the topic of Ukraine, Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and what this war means for the region. This conference is also an opportunity to exchange ideas on how to achieve peace, how to improve the stability of the region and the prosperity of Georgia and its democratic development" the Ambassador noted.
US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan was also asked about the list of 15 People whom the Ukrainian side is demanding to be sanctioned, out of which 12 are Georgians, including Bidzina Ivanishvili. Kelly Degnan said that she has no information about this, however, sanctions are generally an important tool.
I can say that sanctions are a very important tool and can be very effective, as we see with Russia and what we will continue to see because the sanctions that the world has imposed on Russia will have an effect in the future. The United States does not announce sanctions in advance until they are imposed," said Kelly Degnan.
