Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, refused to meet with US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Congressman Mike Turner during their visit to Georgia.
Senator Shaheen expressed concern over Ivanishvili’s refusal, pointing out that Ivanishvili is considered the country’s most important decision-maker.
Ivanishvili is also the richest man in Georgia. His estimated net worth is almost $5 billion. He acquired most of his wealth in Russia in the 1990s.
Previously, Transparency International Georgia reported in 2022 that Ivanishvili owned an unreported Russian company through an offshore subsidiary.
Senator Shaheen criticized Georgia’s adoption of the controversial spy law. In her view, the law was influenced by Russia and contradicted the will of the Georgian people.
“I don’t understand it. What we hear from the Georgian people is that they are against it,” Shaheen said of the new law.
The law, which requires organizations that receive foreign funds to be classified as “foreign agents,” reflects repressive Russian legislation that targets critics of the Kremlin regime.
The law also allows authorities to monitor such organizations and collect personal data.
Meanwhile, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with US officials to discuss improving bilateral relations, which had deteriorated following the passage of the law.
The United States had previously suspended aid payments to Georgia worth more than $95 million because of what it perceived as an undemocratic attitude in the country in recent times.
Georgian opposition plans to file complaint with Constitutional Court against law on “foreign agents”
The lawsuit was signed by 32 opposition MPs on July 22.
