A Visit That Exposed the Strained Reality of U.S.-Georgia Relations

By Malkhaz Matsaberidze

Friday, September 27, 2024

The presence of Georgia's Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, at the 79th session of the UN in the U.S. did not serve as an opportunity to improve relations with Washington, even in the slightest. On the contrary, no U.S. official met with him, and an invitation to the traditional dinner with the U.S. president was also canceled. The Georgian Dream government attributes this to support for the opposition, while opposition representatives claim that the U.S. has ended relations with the current Georgian government. They argue that the recent events further prove that the October 26 election must bring an end to Georgian Dream's rule.

Relations between the Georgian Dream government and Western partners are worsening by the day. The Georgian government has been making anti-Western statements, and Georgia's strategic partners are increasingly imposing sanctions, reducing or canceling financial support, and making decisions to sanction individuals. Recently, it became known that the U.S. plans to sanction Bidzina Ivanishvili, while the European Union is considering canceling visa-free travel with Georgia. The question now is whether these measures will take place before or after the October 26 parliamentary elections, especially if Georgian Dream attempts to rig the election.

These once unimaginable decisions by Georgia's strategic partners are driven by the democratic backslide in the country under Georgian Dream rule, which became particularly evident after the adoption of the Foreign Agents Law. One of the main pre-election promises of Georgian Dream is the destruction of opposition forces, which they refer to as the "collective National Movement." Georgian Dream leaders insist that the deterioration of relations with the West is not due to their actions but rather the work of the "global war party," which, they claim, is trying to drag Georgia into a war against Russia.

It's difficult to predict what Georgian Dream would do in terms of relations with the West if they remain in power. However, they understand well that cutting ties with the West would have catastrophic results in the elections. Therefore, they are saying that the war in Ukraine will end soon, relations with the West will be restored immediately, and they still intend to join the European Union, but "with dignity." They also claim that this will happen by 2030.

In this pre-election context, we should view the participation of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. Kobakhidze traveled to the U.S. on September 22 and gave a speech on September 25. The Georgian Dream government had hoped that the Prime Minister would also meet with U.S. officials. It was even reported that they sought help from Israel to facilitate such meetings. Even though such a meeting wouldn't have changed anything in terms of the Georgian Dream's actual foreign policy, it would have given them the opportunity to claim during the election campaign that everything was fine with U.S.-Georgia relations.

Before departing for the UN General Assembly, Irakli Kobakhidze met with U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan in the Georgian government's administration building to discuss the sanctions imposed by the U.S. Kobakhidze warned the ambassador that "with this decision, the American side is nearing a critical point, and if another similar decision is made, Georgia may fundamentally reassess its position regarding Georgian-American relations."

After this stern warning, information spread that sanctions would soon be imposed on Bidzina Ivanishvili. Upon arriving in New York, Kobakhidze continued speaking in his usual assertive manner. On September 23, he told a segment of the Georgian media that "the blackmail against Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili continues." He likely would have discussed this with U.S. officials if he had met with them. However, it soon became clear that the U.S. administration refused all meetings with the Georgian delegation, including a meeting with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Moreover, U.S. President Joe Biden removed Irakli Kobakhidze from the guest list for the traditional reception held for visiting leaders attending the UN session. Just a few hours before the scheduled meeting with Biden, Kobakhidze was informed that the U.S. president would not meet with him and that he was an unwelcome guest at the traditional dinner. The audience was canceled. This information was first reported by "Voice of America," and shortly after, the U.S. embassy in Georgia explained the reason for the cancellation. Robin Dunnigan's office openly clarified that the leader of Bidzina Ivanishvili's government was excluded from the list of world leaders due to his anti-democratic policies and slanderous statements. This was the first time that the American president's administration had given such a clear and firm response to the oligarch's team for acting against the will of the Georgian people.

Georgian media also reported that the fiasco in the U.S. led to a confrontation between Kobakhidze and Georgia's ambassador to the U.S., David Zalkaliani, which resulted in Zalkaliani's resignation. However, later, Georgian Dream representatives denied both the resignation and the confrontation with the Prime Minister. According to reports, the reason for the dispute was that Zalkaliani knew in advance that Kobakhidze had been removed from the protocol but did not inform the Prime Minister.

The decision by Biden confused the leaders of Georgian Dream. At first, the Speaker of Parliament didn't believe it. Then, they criticized the hospitality, dismissed it as unserious, and finally concluded that the Americans did it to support the opposition. This was also Kobakhidze's comment. According to him, "this was a kind of humanitarian act in favor of the opposition," but it would "have no practical effect." On the other hand, opposition figures made sharp remarks, saying that the October 26 election must bring a change of power in Georgia.