A video released by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s press office via YouTube showing the billionaire-turned-politician’s meeting with foreign diplomats.

Billionaire-turned-politician Bidzina Ivanishvili told foreign diplomats on October 20, that it was his goal to come into power solely through elections and to avoid street protest rallies.

Ivanishvili met with a large group of foreign diplomats accredited in Tbilisi in his hilltop headquarters.

A short video from the meeting, released by Ivanishvili’s press office via YouTube, shows the billionaire philanthropist saying that he wants deepening relations with the U.S. and EU.
 
“I and my team are planning to deepen relations with the United States and we are grateful for the U.S. assistance [to Georgia],” Ivanishvili said looking in direction where U.S. ambassador John Bass was sitting at a conference table.

“We are also grateful to the Europe and it will be our principled position to deepen cooperation with the European structures. We also realize that it will be needed to mend relations with Russia and we will start that immediately,” Ivanishvili said.

He said that “political temperature is very high” in Georgia following his announcement about going into politics and also because of the authorities’ reactions to his announcement. He was apparently referring to stripping of his Georgian citizenship and seizure of large amount of cash belonging to his Cartu Bank.

“My goal is to maximally lower this temperature in order to prevent people hitting the streets [for protest rallies],” he said.

“It is also my goal to spare no efforts in order to maximally keep everything in frames of the law and to replace the authorities solely through elections,” Ivanishvili added.