Jim O'Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs of the United States, will meet with Archbishop Iakob of Bodbe, a member of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church, and Ketevan Chachava, Executive Director of the NGO Center for Development and Democracy.
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As per information published on the State Department's website, the meeting will be held today in Washington at 11:30 local time (19:30 Tbilisi time).
The background of the meeting involves the complicated relations between the United States and the government of Georgia.
Recently, the administration of President Joe Biden canceled the invitation to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for the annual reception held in New York in honor of the heads of delegations participating in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Additionally, the Biden administration declined to meet with the Georgian delegation. As explained by the U.S. Embassy in Georgia, this decision is due to the anti-democratic actions of the Georgian government, misinformation, and negative rhetoric towards the U.S. and the West.
Jim O'Brien visited Georgia in May. It is important to note that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, refused to attend the meeting.
According to Voice of America, the U.S. The Treasury and State Departments have developed a package of sanctions against Ivanishvili and are considering imposing them in the near future.
