Ruling party Sec Gen denounces MEGOBARI Act as hostile, welcomes its removal from US defense bill

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday labelled the MEGOBARI Act as a hostile document based on lies and slander, alleging its author, Congressman Joe Wilson, was paid $80,000 to defame Georgia, and expressed relief at its exclusion from the United States 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

In his remarks, Kaladze denounced the MEGOBARI Act as entirely hostile, built on defamatory lies, and driven by a paid campaign to discredit Georgia.

“There was nothing friendly in that Act; it was purely hostile. All the claims made in it were based on lies and defamation. We only heard threats. We know that the author of the act received $80,000 to tarnish our country and spread lies”, Kaladze said.

He expressed optimism about sensible voices in the US prevailing with the Act’s removal and emphasised Georgia’s readiness to rebuild ties with the new US administration, rejecting the threats and rhetoric of the previous administration as unacceptable.

“Let’s see - there are sensible people there too. We have repeatedly stated that we are ready to start relations from a clean slate, because the statements and threats we heard under the previous administration are categorically unacceptable to us. We want friendship and partnership, but it must be mutual”, he concluded.

The United States Senate on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2026 with 77 votes in favor and 20 against, after removing the reference to the MEGOBARI Act related to Georgia.

It is noteworthy that the MEGOBARI Act, which was prepared against Georgia, has been removed from the legislative package and has not been adopted at this stage.

For reference, after the MEGOBARI Act failed to pass in the Senate, Congressman Joe Wilson stated that he would include the initiative in the National Defense Authorization Act to try once again to get it passed. However, with today’s decision by the Senate, it has become clear that the American lawmaker’s efforts were unsuccessful.