Ivanishvili Declines Meeting with Senator Shaheen and Congressman Turner

“We requested a meeting with Mr. Ivanishvili. He declined to meet with us, but clearly, based on everything we’ve heard from people, he is one of the primary decision makers in the country. And so it’s disappointing again that he wouldn’t meet with us,” Shaheen said at the concluding press conference at the end of his visit to Tbilisi.

On August 10, Senator Shaheen and Congressman Turner met with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the government administration. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ilia Darchiashvili, also attended the meeting.

“I was disappointed that the Prime Minister did not make any suggestions about what he and his administration were willing to do to improve the relationship with the United States. And we talked about a number of concerns that we have. One I mentioned earlier, the suggestion that the United States is, has a plot to overthrow the Georgia government – that that just absolutely is not true.

And so I would hope that the Prime Minister and his government will look at steps that they can take in the future to continue to improve the relationship that we have had with Georgia for over 30 years, which has been a strong relationship,” said Jeanne Shaheen.

At the press conference, Jean Shaheen addressed the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents and expressed confusion as to why the Georgian government would adopt a law that aligns with Russia's interests. "And I gotta tell you, it’s hard for me to understand in a country where 20% of your territory is occupied by Russia, where everywhere we’ve been there has been concern about what Russia’s intent is in the country, and the potential to expand on that territorial invasion, that the government would pass a law that mirrors what Russia is doing in opposition to the will of its citizens," he said.

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, confirmed that Bidzina Ivanishvili refused to meet with American partners. According to Kobakhidze, the reasons for this decision were explained "very clearly" and "directly."

"As for whether this explanation will become public, that depends on Bidzina Ivanishvili and our American partners. If it is deemed necessary to make it public, the relevant parties will decide," Kobakhidze told journalists.

Irakli Kobakhidze also mentioned that during the meeting held yesterday, he "honestly" conveyed to the senator, congressman, and the US ambassador to Georgia what the Georgian government expects from its American partners.

"Our messages were very detailed and specific. I also mentioned at the meeting, and I want to reiterate, that Georgia is a small country, while the United States of America is a very large country with global influence. Georgia cannot significantly alter these relations; everything is in the hands of our American partners. We are now waiting for the next steps. I explained in detail to our American partners what we expect from them in the coming year. We hope that what occurred in the past four years will not be repeated. If there is a qualitative change in approach, nothing will stand in the way of resetting relations. The main thing is justice and a fair approach. In such a case, relations will be reset, and as was mentioned in many meetings, both by me and by the American partners, this reset is equally significant for the relations between Georgia and the USA," said Irakli Kobakhidze.

Democratic Senator Jean Shaheen and Republican Congressman Mike Turner visited Tbilisi on August 9 on an official visit. They met with the President, Prime Minister of Georgia, representatives of opposition parties, and civil society. According to President Salome Zurabishvili, their visit is another proof of the firm support of the United States of America for Georgia.

This is not the first time that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, has refused to attend a meeting with American partners. In May, he did not meet with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Jim O'Brien, who visited Tbilisi amid the adoption of the Russian law. At that time, Irakli Kobakhidze provided an explanation, stating that any meeting would be possible only after the end of "de facto sanctions." In response, O'Brien noted that there were no sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili at that stage. "For such an influential individual to be that badly misinformed is shocking and disappointing. For the Prime Minister to say that that is a reason that one of Georgia’s most important partners cannot meet with this citizen is to elevate that individual interest above the country’s constitutional commitment to working more with international partners and joining the EU and NATO," said O'Brien.