It’s good that such high-level visits are resuming in Georgia, but I don’t think Senator Daines’ visit is an alternative to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s meeting with the ambassador, which was intended to deliver Rubio’s message to the Georgian government, said Giorgi Rukhadze, founder of the Strategic Analysis Center, on PalitraNews’ program “Day’s Newsroom,” commenting on the visit of U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to Georgia.

According to Rukhadze, Senator Daines has not had any particular connection to Georgia previously, making it difficult to predict the visit’s main purpose.

“Until now, Senator Steve Daines has not had any ties to Georgia. It’s hard for me to speak about the main purpose of the visit. The Senate is not an executive branch. The Secretary of State can give orders to an ambassador or their assistant, but assigning such a visit to a senator doesn’t work that way. ‘Georgian Dream’ is in conflict with everyone. They are also in conflict with Trump. According to their own logic, if Trump defeats the ‘deep state,’ he’ll be a good president; if he doesn’t, he’ll be a bad one. The most laughable thing in recent events is Ivanishvili’s refusal to meet the ambassador. Ivanishvili says he didn’t meet the ambassador to avoid harming the country’s interests due to his personal financial issues. If resetting Georgian-American relations depended so much on that meeting and he still refused, it means his money is more important to him. The problem is that this country is governed by someone for whom money is far more important than the country’s future,” he stated.

Regarding whether the senator’s visit could halt the adoption of the “MEGOBARI Act,” Giorgi Rukhadze noted that it is highly likely to be adopted without obstacles.

“This process has already started, so I don’t think anything will prevent the adoption of the ‘MEGOBARI Act.’ It has already been passed by the House of Representatives. It has also been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Only one plenary session remains. Theoretically, changes could happen, but it’s unlikely since it has bipartisan support. Once adopted, ‘Georgian Dream’ will find itself in a situation similar to Maduro in Venezuela or Lukashenko in Belarus.

Regarding statements from the French Foreign Ministry and the Polish Embassy about travel warnings to Georgia, Rukhadze stated that there have been many recent cases of entry denials, making their decisions natural. He believes other countries will follow suit.

“Poland warned its citizens that there’s a high chance of being turned back if they come to Georgia and have participated in protests in any way. France did the same, and other countries will follow. Many such cases have accumulated recently. It’s natural that these statements were made. Under Ivanishvili’s regime, Georgia no longer views European countries as friendly. This is an alarming signal, indicating the direction in which Ivanishvili’s regime is taking Georgia. The Georgian government is hostile toward the West, and their reaction is natural,” he stated.