Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has expressed criticism towards US Senator James Risch following the American lawmaker’s recent comments regarding the Georgian Dream (GD) authorities. In a press briefing on Friday, Kobakhidze condemned the tone of Risch’s remarks made during a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee session on Thursday.
Risch’s comments were made in the context of the Georgian Government’s adoption of a controversial law of foreign influence. The Senator had suggested that Georgian voters might use the upcoming October elections to remove the current government and take control of their future.
Kobakhidze described Risch’s comments as “disturbing” and “disappointing,” expressing his disapproval of what he perceived as a decline in the quality of discourse in the US Senate. “Today, we see a decrease in the quality of culture in this most important and still very valuable institution,” said Kobakhidze. “Such a level of incivility should not be demonstrated by people in the American Congress.”
The Prime Minister also criticized Risch for his alleged past support of the United National Movement (UNM), which was defeated by GD in the 2012 parliamentary elections. Kobakhidze alleged that Risch has “consistently backed” the UNM and accused him of bias.
He further questioned the credibility of Risch’s comments, given his stance as an “impartial observer” for the upcoming Georgian elections while “disparaging” the ruling party.
Kobakhidze also addressed earlier comments made by Senator Shaheen, accusing her of spreading misinformation regarding the Georgian government’s stance on US funding for non-governmental organizations. “Shaheen made false claims, suggesting that we had called for an end to funding for NGOs critical of the Government,” Kobakhidze stated. “The only point discussed was that American funds should not support radicalism and polarization.”
Additionally, Kobakhidze criticized Eka Gigauri, the Head of Transparency International Georgia, for her speech at the Senate session, likening it to the rhetoric of historical figures associated with betrayal. He disparaged her English proficiency and dismissed her comments as lacking substance.
