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Kobakhidze Rejects U.S. Embassy Concerns Over Georgia's New Hate Speech Unit
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has rejected U.S. Embassy's criticism of Georgia's newly established Department for Combating Hate Speech, calling the embassy's remarks "absolutely incomprehensible."
"The U.S. Embassy, under the previous administration, was one of the main actors trying to artificially incite hatred and spread lies in Georgia," Kobakhidze claimed. "We must do everything to prevent the spread of hatred in Georgian society."
Kobakhidze also said Tbilisi remained committed to restoring its strategic partnership with Washington.
"We are in a waiting mode and continue to maintain optimism. Our desire is to restore the strategic partnership, and we will patiently wait for the American side's accommodating position," he said.
His comments came after the U.S. Embassy told Radio Liberty it was "concerned about the creation of this unit" when asked about the establishment of the new department and the recent arrests of people accused of insulting politicians on social media.
"The best response to lies and misinformation is more freedom of speech, not enforced silence," the embassy said.
Georgia's Annual Inflation Slows to 5.5% in July
Georgia's annual inflation rate eased to 5.5% in July from 5.8% in June, while consumer prices fell 0.4% compared with the previous month, the National Statistics Office (Geostat) said on Aug. 3.
Annual inflation was driven by higher prices for transport, housing and utilities, restaurants and hotels, miscellaneous goods and services, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, food, and healthcare. Communication prices fell 6.3% from a year earlier. Among food items, fish, meat, and bread and cereals posted the largest annual price increases, while vegetable prices declined 5.7%.
On a monthly basis, vegetable prices dropped 12.3%, while fruit and grapes fell 2.8%. Prices for coffee, tea and cocoa, milk, cheese and eggs, oils and fats, and bread and cereals increased.
The European Commission expects inflation to remain elevated in 2026 because of high energy prices, while Fitch Ratings has forecast that inflation will stay above target in the coming months before gradually easing toward the National Bank of Georgia's 3% target.
