PM dismisses external opinions on Georgia's elected Government

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday alleged that US Ambassador Robin Dunnigan was prevented from attending Georgia’s Independence Day celebration on May 26 due to the influence of the deep state.

“I am certain that Ms. Robin Dunnigan wanted to participate in the May 26 event, but she was not given the opportunity. This was clearly due to the influence of the deep state”, the PM said.

Kobakhidze also criticised the US Department of State for issuing a congratulatory message without naming a specific recipient, calling it an “inappropriate approach” that reflects the “deep state’s” dominance.

“In our country, power belongs to the government elected by the people. This artificial and unjust division that we are witnessing is not only unfair - it is insulting to the Georgian people. The people choose the government - that happened on October 26 last year, when over 1.12 million citizens supported the current administration. Whether someone likes it or not is irrelevant. This is the will of the Georgian people”, he continued.

He went on to criticise past US assistance to Georgia, particularly through NGOs, claiming that US support had been exaggerated and often misrepresented.

“I’ve presented accurate figures showing that, financially, Georgia has provided more benefits to the U.S. through participation in military missions than we have received in aid. And NGO funding is not assistance to the Georgian state”, the PM noted.