U.S. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has criticized Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The leaders held talks on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), held in Yerevan.
“The America-hating Georgian Dream regime is once again meeting with Iran, a terrorist state. This unholy alliance is an insult to President Trump and to the wonderful Georgian people, who desire freedom and prosperity, not a death cult on their doorstep,” Wilson wrote on X.
According to the Georgian Government Administration, the meeting between Kobakhidze and Pezeshkian addressed current bilateral relations. “Attention was also paid to the situation in the region. The Prime Minister of Georgia reiterated the critical importance of dialogue and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and secure lasting peace,” the statement said.
Kobakhidze, in turn, wrote on his X account that he had discussed bilateral relations and developments in the Middle East with the Iranian president: “I reaffirmed that Georgia firmly supports diplomatic efforts toward the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region.”
According to a press release on the Iranian president’s official website, Pezeshkian stressed the need to “develop a clear framework and timeline for an action plan” to strengthen ties with Georgia. In addition, during the talks with Kobakhidze, he described U.S. sanctions against Tehran as contrary to humanitarian principles and characterized recent strikes on Iran as “unjustified and inhumane.”
As for Joe Wilson, he has previously criticized Georgian authorities for their accommodating policy toward the Islamic Republic. The congressman has pushed for severe sanctions against the Georgian Dream leadership and the government. He is the author of several legislative initiatives on the matter, including the MEGOBARI Act.