Georgia’s PM accuses US Senator of lie, denies meeting with Bundestag delegation

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, on Friday labeled US Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s claims that he asked the United States to “stop funding critical civil society” during a meeting in Georgia as a “pure water lie.”

Kobakhidze denied making such a request, expressing disappointment over the senator’s claim. “Unfortunately, I have to make a harsh statement. What Senator Shaheen said is a pure water lie. I did not say such a thing at the meeting. It saddens me that such a lie is framed by a person who holds the very high status of a United States Senator.

This is extremely sad and worrying for me,” said Kobakhidze.

The Prime Minister’s statement comes after Senator Shaheen, in an interview with the National Journal, summarized her visit to Georgia from August 9-11. She claimed that Kobakhidze had requested the United States stop funding civil society organizations that are critical of the Georgian Dream government.

In addition to his response to Shaheen, Kobakhidze addressed the ongoing visit of German Bundestag members to Georgia. He declined a meeting with the delegation, citing concerns over the conduct of one Bundestag member during a previous visit.

“A few months ago, one of the Bundestag members appeared at a rally organized by the ‘radical opposition’ just hours after meeting with the ruling team. He went directly to the stage and was involved in a revolutionary attempt. Given this, a meeting in such a context would not be appropriate,” Kobakhidze explained.

Instead, a member of the Georgian Dream party will meet with the Bundestag delegation, though the Prime Minister expressed doubt about the effectiveness of such discussions. “It will be seen how effective all this will be,” he added.

The German delegation’s visit has drawn criticism from the Georgian opposition, who pointed out that neither the Prime Minister nor the Speaker of Parliament met with the Bundestag members. Nikoloz Samkharadze, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, was the only representative from the parliamentary majority to meet with the German guests.