TBILISI, DFWatch–The unexpected announcement on June 5 that U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan will retire next month has prompted speculation among Georgia’s political camps. Dunnigan emphasized that it was her personal decision to retire and had not been requested by Washington, but members of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party suggested there was a political reason.
MP Tengiz Sharmanashvili is among several in the ruling GD camp who have speculated that Dunnigan’s retirement was connected with her not publicly releasing a letter from Donald Trump to Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili.
The letter was first made public on May 27 by Kimberly Lowe, a Republican Party member and GD supporter. Lowe released the English text of the letter, which she stated was sent by President Trump to President Kavelashvili to congratulate him on Georgia’s Independence Day.
The U.S. Embassy in Georgia has still not confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
The letter was seen as significant, because until then, Trump’s administration had not clarified its stance on Georgia’s post-election government. By congratulating Kavelashvili, a figure the opposition views as illegitimate, Trump was widely interpreted as signaling tacit support for GD.
Opposition figures downplayed the significance of Dunnigan’s departure. Gedevan Popkhadze of the Coalition for Change said the U.S. will not “endorse an authoritarian, pro-Russian regime,” regardless of who serves as ambassador. MP Salome Samadashvili noted the timing could overlap with U.S. congressional consideration of the MEGOBARI Act, which would link American support to democratic standards.
Dunnigan, who called serving in Georgia a “privilege”, will remain in her position until July.
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