Georgian PM rejects criticism on joining Iranian President’s inauguration by highlighting presence of “regional leaders”, EU, UN officials

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday responded to criticism by Nino Lomjaria, the former Public Defender of the country, about his participation in the inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian, the newly elected Iranian President, by highlighting “almost all regional leaders”, envoys of both the European Union High Representative and the Secretary-General of the United Nations had featured at the event as Iran represented a “very important state” in the wider region.

Kobakhidze also said the delegations were “notably represented”, with prime ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia serving as a “high-level” representation of the South Caucasus region.

The PM claimed Lomjaria had been “personally instructed to raise this topic, although it was not a great success”, and added representatives of the Armenian domestic opposition and opposition-leaning media had in contrast not condemned the Armenian PM's attendance at the event “because they did not have this objective”.

The Government head was asked whether his visit to Iran was a “political statement” of distancing the Government from the West, and called the topic “shameful speculation”, while again drawing parallels with the Armenian Government and saying the country’s PM had been present at the inauguration while also making reciprocal messages of deepening relations with the West.