The United States has urged Georgia not to veer from pursuit of a "Euro-Atlantic future" following the exit of government ministers who warned of threats to the ex-Soviet republic's pro-Western course.
Defense Minister Irakli Alasania was dismissed on November 4 after condemning arrests and charges against military officers as a politically motivated "attack on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic choice."
European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Minister Aleksi Petriashvili resigned on November 4 and Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze quit a day later.
"We have greatly appreciated the work of these ministers in service to their country and in partnership with the United States," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement late on November 5.
Psaki said that "it is in Georgia's interest to demonstrate stability, unity, commitment to due process and the rule of law, and public confidence in democratic institutions."
"We urge all parties to work towards these goals and to focus on securing Georgia's Euro-Atlantic future," she said.
She urged the government to "take steps to dispel perceptions that the judicial system is being used for political purposes, and to demonstrate its commitment to our shared democratic values."
