Georgian Parliament Speaker calls withdrawal of US invitation for PM “frivolous”,“insulting”

Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament and a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party Political Council, on Wednesday criticised the withdrawal of an invitation of Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to a reception hosted by the United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly 79th session in New York, calling the move "frivolous” and “insulting”. 

The invitation [for Wednesday’s event] was sent and then withdrawn the very next day. Such behaviour is not serious”, Papuashvili told the press. 

He further expressed disappointment, saying “what we have seen from the US administration is, frankly, an insult to both America and its people. The more inexplicable or stubborn the actions [from the US] seem, the more they reflect the state of Georgia’s opposition”.

The official also accused Washington of taking actions to “fuel [the Georgian] opposition discourse”, describing it as “interference” in the country’s internal politics. 

Papuashvili added “for years, the US has called us a strategic partner. Perhaps they could learn a lesson in hospitality from the Georgian people. Unfortunately, it seems that this was not conveyed properly”. 

The Georgian Government Administration this week said Kobakhidze was set to attend the reception hosted by the US President and his wife Jill Biden in honour of heads of delegations participating in the UNGA session.