Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on October 16 on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biodiversity in Yerevan, where the two discussed bilateral relations and the situation in the Middle East, with Pezeshkian calling for “practical cooperation” in economic and tourism spheres while criticizing U.S. sanctions against Iran.
“We discussed current bilateral relations between Georgia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the situation in the Middle East,” Kobakhidze wrote on X following the meeting. “I reiterated that Georgia firmly supports diplomatic efforts toward the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region,” he added.
The Georgian Dream government’s press service separately reported that the two sides “touched upon the existing relations” between the two countries, adding that “positive cooperation in the field of tourism was highlighted.”
Iran’s President’s office provided a more detailed account of the meeting, with its press release saying that Pezeshkian “emphasized the need to translate growing economic, cultural and tourism ties between the two countries into practical cooperation.”
“The Iranian president said Tehran and Tbilisi needed transparent frameworks and a timetable for implementing joint initiatives, adding that the two sides should work to expand bilateral engagement in concrete ways,” the statement said.
The press release further said that the meeting addressed US sanctions against Iran, with Pezeshkian describing the measures “as contrary to humanitarian principles” and criticizing “recent attacks on Iran as unjustifiable and inhumane.”
It added that “he emphasized that Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons, rejecting false propaganda against the country. The president also said Iran had always been ready for dialogue but would not submit to pressure.”
The press release cited Kobakhidze as saying that “Georgia maintained clear positions toward neighboring countries and opposed any foreign intervention in their domestic affairs.”
Referring to the countries’ “geographical and cultural ties,” Kobakhidze said “friendship and cooperation should guide bilateral relations,” according to Tehran’s press release, adding that he expressed hope that “coordination between the two countries’ foreign ministries and diplomatic services would help identify common ground in economic cooperation and tourism.”
The exchanges come amid broader scrutiny of Tbilisi’s relations with Tehran and follow a series of controversies involving the Iranian ambassador in Georgia, Ali Moujani. In March, Moujani warned — a day after the phone call between GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — that countries allowing their territory to be used by outside “adventurists” could eventually “pay the price within their own borders.”
In September, Georgia joined the extended U.S. sanctions on Iranian airlines, following which the Iranian Embassy posted Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Moujani’s reaction on Facebook, accompanied by a map of the wider Black Sea region that depicted only the western half of Georgia.
On September 30, Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Moujani over remarks he had posted on social media concerning Georgian history, including Queen Ketevan, a canonized Georgian monarch known to have been tortured to death by Persian authorities in the 17th century after refusing to convert to Islam. The ministry said the ambassador’s statements went beyond the scope of diplomatic activity and called on him to refrain from interpreting Georgia’s history.
The October 16 meeting drew criticism from U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, a vocal critic of the Georgian Dream government.
“Once again, the America-hating Georgian Dream regime meets with terrorist state Iran. This unholy alliance is an insult to President Trump and the tremendous people of Georgia who want freedom and prosperity, not a death cult in their backyards,” Wilson wrote on X.
During his visit to Yerevan, Kobakhidze also addressed the Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity and met with Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO.
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