Day: June 4, 2026

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze rejected allegations that Georgia’s government is “pro-Iranian” and disputed remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggesting that Georgian officials had asked Washington what would be required to improve bilateral relations.

The remarks came a day after a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in which Rep. Joe Wilson, a vocal critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, asked Rubio about the plans regarding Georgia, referring to the Georgian Dream government as a “pro-Iranian regime” that helped Tehran evade sanctions, as “illegitimate,” and as supported by the Chinese Communist Party.

Responding, Rubio told Rep. Wilson that he was “right” and everything he outlined was “preexisting concerns.” The State Secretary also noted that Tbilisi asked “what will it take to have a better relationship” with the U.S., and expressed hope for a change in “trajectory not just of [U.S.] relationship with Georgia, but of their behavior.” 

Responding to journalists’ questions after the opening of the 16th Tbilisi Regional Forum on Sustainable Development on June 4, Kobakhidze disputed that Georgian officials had asked Washington what would be required to improve relations. “We have never asked such a question. Our message is what we have already stated publicly,” he said, noting that “when someone speaks, they may say things through their own interpretation.”

“I can tell you with full responsibility that neither I nor any of my colleagues have ever asked such a question. When someone is speaking, they may say something one way or another, but I am telling you what the facts are,” Kobakhidze noted, adding: “What we said was that we are ready to discuss every detail related to the restoration of the strategic partnership.”

Referring to Georgia’s relations with China and Iran, Kobakhidze said the U.S. administration itself was seeking deeper engagement with major powers.

“The U.S. administration itself speaks that it is doing everything to deepen relations with China; the U.S. administration itself says that it wants to deepen relations with Russia,” he said.

He also dismissed allegations that Georgia maintains a pro-Iranian orientation, warning “not to go down to the level” of Rep. Wilson and also Eka Gigauri, executive director of Transparency International – Georgia, a Georgian corruption watchdog.

“Georgia and Iran? Come on, you’re not Joe Wilson, are you?” he asked journalists.

Kobakhidze also rejected suggestions that Rubio had endorsed Wilson’s characterization of the Georgian government.

“What exactly did he [Rubio] agree with, that this is a pro-Iranian government? That is Joe Wilson’s level. He did not agree with that,” he said. He also dismissed the allegations of Georgia helping Iran evade sanctions, noting that Georgian exports to Iran accounted for 0.5% of total exports and imports from Iran accounted for 1.5% of total imports.

Kobakhidze once again reiterated long-standing claims that relations between Tbilisi and Washington had deteriorated under the previous U.S. administration and argued that Georgia had resisted external pressure.

“Georgia is not a schoolchild who can be given remedial lessons and told to correct its behavior,” he said. “Georgia is a dignified, sovereign state, and we made that position absolutely clear everywhere.”

“The previous administration was demanding something extremely serious from us, and this was followed by pressure, coercion, blackmail, and countless other hardships directed against the Georgian people and the Georgian state. What was damaged through injustice can only be repaired through a just approach,” Kobakhidze further added.

The GD prime minister said he remained optimistic that ties with Washington could improve.

“We remain optimistic that the process will conclude with the restoration of the strategic partnership,” he said.

The United States, under the Joe Biden administration, suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, a traditional ally, in November 2024 during the Tbilisi protests and later in the same year imposed sanctions on the ruling party’s billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. The Donald Trump administration has yet to reverse those decisions.

The remarks come amid continued uncertainty, but also intensifying contacts, in Tbilisi–Washington relations as Georgian Dream officials continue to state their willingness for a “reset.” Recent months have seen increased contacts between the two sides, including a phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, as well as visits to Tbilisi by senior U.S. officials.

Following a late-May visit to Tbilisi, a U.S. delegation said it had discussed a path toward improving bilateral relations with Georgian Dream officials and stressed the importance of a stable domestic political environment that facilitates opposition engagement for a sustainable strategic partnership between the two countries.

Also Read:

• 19/04/2026 – Trump Tower to Be Built in Tbilisi
• 30/03/2026 – Rubio, Kobakhidze Discuss ‘Areas of Mutual Interest’ in Phone Call