Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has described the collapse of the MEGOBARI Act in the US Senate as a positive development, framing the bill as a “hostile act” against Georgia and its people.
Speaking to journalists, Kobakhidze argued that the legislation, which had strong bipartisan support in Washington but ultimately stalled, would have harmed Georgia’s sovereignty and national interests. “The MEGOBARI Act was, in reality, a hostile act against the Georgian people, our state, and national interests. Fortunately, as it turns out, it has finally failed, which is very good,” he said.
Looking ahead, the prime minister emphasized that his government intends to “reset” relations with Washington on a new footing. “We have a specific goal to reset relations with a concrete roadmap from a clean slate and renew our strategic partnership with the US. We maintain hope for this. The rest depends on the new US administration itself,” Kobakhidze noted.
His remarks came in response to a hearing held at the US Helsinki Commission titled “From Partner to Problem: Georgia’s Anti-American Turn.” During the session, Congressman Steve Cohen acknowledged the failure of the MEGOBARI Act, attributing the outcome in part to lobbying tied to “one particular business that’s building a port,” adding that “one individual was able to apparently kill it.”
Kobakhidze also lashed out at Georgian political figures who took part in the hearing, including former President Salome Zurabishvili and former Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli, accusing them of working against Georgia’s national interests. “We witnessed contemporary Sergo Ordzhonikidze in Washington yesterday. It’s very tragic when a Georgian loses face, when a Georgian directly opposes their own state’s national interests. This is a tragic event, though it is their tragedy,” he said.
The prime minister further criticized US Congressman Joe Wilson, a co-chair of the Helsinki Commission and one of the MEGOBARI Act’s most vocal backers, calling him a “Deep State agent” and a “funded lobbyist.”
The Helsinki Commission hearing, attended by former US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, also featured testimony from Zurabiishvili, Khidasheli, and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Luke Coffey. Witnesses highlighted what they described as Georgia’s democratic backsliding under the ruling Georgian Dream party and growing alignment with Moscow and Beijing.
The MEGOBARI Act, designed to strengthen US support for Georgia’s democracy and impose potential sanctions on those seen as undermining it, has been one of the sharpest points of contention in recent US-Georgia relations. While Kobakhidze hailed its failure as an opportunity to start fresh, critics argue that the move only deepens international concerns about Tbilisi’s trajectory.
Related story: Congressman Wilson: GD driving Georgia toward dictatorship, closer to Russia and China
