Georgia turns down US invite for official visit over ‘pre-condition’

ISTANBUL

Tbilisi has turned down a US invitation to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for an official visit due to a “pre-condition.”

Washington apparently urged Georgia to temporarily halt an ongoing parliamentary discussion on a controversial “foreign agents” bill.

“Today, the US ambassador’s statement was issued, stating that high-ranking Georgian government officials were invited to the US, but the Georgian side declined,” a Georgian Foreign Ministry statement said.

“Meetings with arrangements do not embody the spirit of cooperation, which should be founded on mutual respect and trust,” it added.

The statement said that Kobakhidze was invited to the US under the condition that the Georgian parliament temporarily suspend talks on the draft bill before the visit, adding that an explanation was given to the US ambassador.

Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to Tbilisi Robin Dunnigan said in a statement that they recently invited senior members of Georgia’s government for bilateral talks, but that the Georgian side declined.

The parliament of the South Caucasus country voted Wednesday in support of the second reading of a controversial “foreign agents” bill, despite weeks-long protests against the draft legislation sweeping the capital.

The bill requires organizations, including media outlets, which receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register with the state. It also obliges them to publish annual financial reports.

The bill, first introduced in March 2023, was shelved after it triggered mass protests resulting in the arrest of 66 people and the injury of more than 50 law enforcement officers.

Last month, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said they would resubmit the draft legislation on the "transparency of foreign influence" to parliament.

Critics say the bill would undermine democracy and have labeled it as a "Russian law," but members of the ruling majority say it would boost transparency.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili also declared that she would veto the bill.

However, Georgian Dream can override the president's veto by collecting 76 votes, after which the parliament speaker can sign the bill into law.