Voice of America reports that Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s invitation to attend a reception of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, in New York has been cancelled.
On September 25, Biden will host world leaders and high-ranking UN officials at a traditional reception in New York.
As “Voice of America” found out, Irakli Kobakhidze, who heads the Georgian delegation to the UN General Assembly, was initially on the list of those invited to the reception of the president, but the Biden administration canceled the invitation. A senior administration official and another source from the congress confirmed the cancellation of the invitation to VOA. Later, this was also confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office, in response to the question of “Voice of America”.
In addition, according to the same source, along with cancelling the Prime Minister’s invitation, the administration also refused all meetings with the Georgian delegation, and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also refused to meet with Prime Minister Kobakhidze. Based on this information, the Prime Minister’s office states that “a meeting with Sullivan was not planned”.
Speaking to “Voice of America” about this, another high-ranking official of the United States administration adds that “the recent actions and statements of the Georgian government indicate a shocking disrespect for democracy and the will of the Georgian people.”
“Voice of America” also found out that the reason for this step is the anti-democratic behavior of the Georgian government and other moves, including the adoption of the so-called Law on Foreign Agents, the anti-corruption bureau’s move against non-governmental organizations – “Transparency International Georgia” and “Choose Europe”, as well as statements made by the ruling power about the banning of opposition parties.
“Voice of America” further reports that the last communication with the Georgian government did not give the American administration hope that Tbilisi will change its course. But, on the contrary, the steps of the Georgian government convince the administration that it is determined to ignore the Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia and the will of the Georgian people.
“Voice of America” contacted the administration of the Government of Georgia with a request for a comment on the matter, along with the publication of the material. The Prime Minister’s office in response confirms the cancellation of the invitation to the reception and adds that “the meeting with Sullivan was not scheduled”.
The President of the United States, as part of the United Nations General Assembly, traditionally holds such a reception for world leaders in New York every year. Also traditionally, as a rule, the leaders of most countries of the world are invited to the reception, except for such countries as Iran, North Korea and others.
After the government of Georgia passed the so-called Foreign Agents Law, the State Department began a comprehensive review of the entire US-Georgia relations. In the process, dozens of current and former officials of Georgia and their family members were subject to visa restrictions. The financial aid, which directly benefited the Georgian government, was stopped. Last week, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on four persons, the head of the Department of Special Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Zviad Kharazishvili, and his deputy. Also, the founder of “Alt-Info” Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze, who is related to the same organization.
Last week, “Voice of America” learned that the United States of America has developed sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of “Georgian Dream” and former Prime Minister, and is considering imposing them in the near future. This information was confirmed to “Voice of America” by two high-ranking officials of the American government and two more sources close to the administration.
Image source: Netgazeti
