Day: May 21, 2025
Secretary of State Rubio criticizes Georgian Dream
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Georgian government “anti-American.”
Responding to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson during a session of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rubio stated that they would “take action” against the ruling Georgian Dream party.
This marks the first official statement on Georgia made by a representative of President Donald Trump’s administration.
“The goal of the United States is our national interest. So we will look at that and say: is it in our national interest to have an anti-American government governing an important part of the world? And if not, we’ll take appropriate actions to impose costs on that government,” Rubio said.
He further noted that it’s “currently under review,” and “we’re looking for options and additional options. I have no announcement today specifically on what we plan to do yet, but I can tell you that, that it’s something that’s being discussed.”
“And again, a great example of why we’re going to look to our regional bureaus and our local office on the ground there to provide us guidance as to what are the measures that the government, the anti-American government, would be most responsive to,” Rubio said.
JUST NOW!!! Rubio answers to a question from @RepJoeWilson about Georgia’s anti-American “russian dream”…
Rubio: “We will look at that and say, ‘is it our national interest to have an anti-American government governing an important part of the world,’ and if not, we’ll take… pic.twitter.com/t2aWCUpZY1
— Alex Raufoglu (@ralakbar) May 21, 2025
On May 13, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze from the Georgian Dream party sent an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, pointing out that there have been no high-level contacts between the governments of Georgia and the United States so far.
The letter also notes that it is “unclear” why sanctions remain in place against Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister and other government officials who, according to the letter, effectively suppressed a “USAID-planned and -funded attempt at revolution orchestrated by former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.“
According to Kobakhidze, “in Georgian society, there is a growing sense that Trump’s statements about defeating the ‘deep state’ are merely an attempt to rebrand it – nothing more.”
During the hearing Joe Wilson accused the Georgian Dream of “rigging the October 26 elections and kicking out American companies, blocking trade and mineral access to the Middle Corridor, and selling Georgia to the Chinese Communist Party,” as well as “repeatedly smearing President Trump and American leadership.”
Rubio’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tbilisi over the democratic backsliding, GD’s intensified repression, and anti-Western rhetoric. On May 6, the House of Representatives passed the MEGOBARI Act that calls for sanctions against Georgian Dream officials with bipartisan support.
News in Georgia
Toyota has officially unveiled the all-new sixth-generation RAV4, marking a significant step forward in the development of software-defined vehicles. At the heart of this transformation is the Arene software platform, which enables continuous over-the-air updates and seamless interaction between the vehicle and its users, Azernews reports.