Georgian PM rejects reports about efforts to meet Donald Trump in US visit

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday rejected reports claiming he had sought to meet with the United States presidential hopeful Donald Trump during his visit to New York last week.

Kobakhidze also called reports by the domestic opposition-leaning media that said his Government was working to organise meetings with US officials with the help of the Israeli authorities “a lie”.

“It's a lie. It was only about meetings in the format of the United Nations General Assembly [last week]. Talking about all other meetings or attempts [to arrange meetings] is a complete lie”, the PM said.

When asked why he had not attempted to arrange meetings with US officials on the backdrop of criticism of his Government by the American side, Kobakhidze said “we are focused on the [upcoming] elections”.

We have a simple answer in this regard. We are focused on elections. Elections are also held in the United States. Until the end of the year, the mode of relations that we do not like will be maintained at a certain level. We are sure that the qualitative and fundamental reboot of relations will begin next year after the elections are over in both countries”, he noted.

“We very much hope that the war in Ukraine will end in the first half of next year. After that, it will be much easier to reboot the relationship. Therefore, we will activate the relations qualitatively, right from the beginning of next year”, Kobakhidze continued.

The Government head also mentioned the “Global War Party” - a reference to unspecified political forces in the West who allegedly seek to create a revolutionary scenario in Georgia and involve the country into opening a “second front” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine - by saying that “we have to settle [relations] with everyone, including the Global War Party, once the interests change”.

After the two elections [in the United States and Georgia] are over, after the war in Ukraine is over, we are confident that interests towards our country will change qualitatively, and accordingly, we will have the opportunity to reboot relations with everyone and everything. We know exactly what and how to settle this issue from the beginning of next year”, he said.

The PM also remarked on the US administration’s withdrawal of the invitation for him to attend a reception for world leaders hosted by the US President Joe Biden at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly by claiming “about 100 countries with formal or informal autocracies, including ones with single-party rule”, had been invited to Biden's reception.