Irakli Kobakhidze: We do not know exactly from which address the American message came - we suspect that the message came from the very unit in the State Department that operates under the influence of the "deep state"

We do not know exactly from which address the American message came, - Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated on Rustavi 2 when responding to a question related to Georgian-American relations, in particular, to the embassy's statement, according to which "Bidzina Ivanishvili refused to meet with Ambassador Dunnigan, where he was supposed to hear the message of the Trump administration. At the request of Secretary of State Rubio, on May 22, Ambassador Dunnigan requested a meeting with Bidzina Ivanishvili to convey the message of the administration".

According to Kobakhidze, there is a suspicion that the message came from the very unit in the State Department, which is still operating under the influence of the "deep state".

"As for the American message, we do not know exactly from which address this message came, based on Ms. Dunnigan's direct connections, we suspect that this message came from that very unit in the State Department, which is still operating under the influence of the "deep state". What is the proof? - Our answer, Bidzina Ivanishvili's answer was public, he stated the following: Bidzina Ivanishvili is under blackmail, direct financial instruments are being used. Not only financial, sanctions, before there were de facto sanctions, freezing of finances. Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili is currently operating under blackmail. As for the leaders of the government, the Prime Minister and others, in our case a similar type of blackmail is not operating. We are not under either formal or informal sanctions. Therefore, it should be incomprehensible to us, naturally, why the ambassador and relevant persons refused, for example, to send this message to the Prime Minister. Of course, this message would have reached Bidzina Ivanishvili in all cases, right? There was no problem with that," Kobakhidze said.

Kobakhidze said that the goal, it seems, was to "share the message not of the US, but in this case of the "Deep State" with the very person who is being blackmailed."

On May 28, the US Embassy issued a statement, saying that Bidzina Ivanishvili refused to meet with Ambassador Dunnigan, where he was supposed to hear the message of the Trump administration. At the request of Secretary of State Rubio, on May 22, Ambassador Dunnigan requested a meeting with Bidzina Ivanishvili to convey the administration's message and once again convey specific steps that the Georgian government can take to show that it is serious about resetting relations with the United States. "We hope that the Georgian government sincerely wants to return to the 33-year partnership and friendship with the United States and the American people," read the statement.