Georgian PM: ‘We have never asked how to improve relations with United States’
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has categorically rejected US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s claim that Tbilisi had asked Washington how to restore relations between the two countries.
During a hearing in the US House of Representatives, Rubio publicly stated that the Georgian side had asked the United States what steps it needed to take to improve bilateral relations. “We answered that question, and I hope that, on that basis, we will be able not only to improve US-Georgian relations but also to correct their behaviour,” the secretary of state said.
According to Kobakhidze, official Tbilisi “never asked such a question”.
When a journalist asked whether that meant Rubio was lying, the Georgian prime minister replied:
“No, this is not about lying. When people speak, they can express things through their own interpretation. I can state with full responsibility that neither I nor any of my colleagues asked such a question. We said that we are ready to discuss any details related to restoring the strategic partnership.
Georgia is not a schoolchild whom someone can force to repeat a year and demand better behaviour from. Georgia is a dignified sovereign state, and we have made that position clear everywhere. You will not find any violations of democracy or the rule of law in Georgia. As for what the United States wants, you will learn that later,” Kobakhidze said.
Georgian PM on relations with the United States
