TBILISI. May 13 (Interfax) - Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has confirmed that the founder and honorary chairman of the ruling party Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili refused to meet with U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien, who was due to arrive in Tbilisi on a visit on May 13.
"I can confirm that Bidzina Ivanishvili received a request with regard to a meeting with James O'Brien, which Bidzina Ivanishvili rejected," Kobakhidze said at a news conference on Monday.
Commenting on reports by several media outlets alleging that O'Brien was to inform Georgia about the sanctions Ivanishvili would face for the adoption of the Bill on the Transparency of Foreign Influence by the Georgian parliament, Kobakhidze said that he was unaware of that. Ivanishvili has no fear of the sanctions that he does not consider anything serious, the Georgian prime minister said. The subject of sanctions is beyond Ivanishvili's interest, because sanctions against him are de facto already in place, as his $2 billion dollars have been frozen, Kobakhidze said.
"With that being said, Bidzina Ivanishvili's stance is that he cannot hold any kind of meeting under the blackmail. This is his clear stance. When the blackmail and de facto sanctions are over, any meeting could be held, but today, such is the stance of Bidzina Ivanishvili," Kobakhidze said.