On 28 September, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that his government was very optimistic about the arrival of Robin Dunnigan as the new US Ambassador to Georgia.

Garibashvili recalled his meeting with Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week. "We discussed almost all issues. Unfortunately, such high-level talks have not been held recently, [even though] many high-ranking guests came to us from America, but I had a particularly important conversation with Mr Sullivan and we touched on practically all issues related to relations between the two countries, strategic partnership and cooperation," the Prime Minister said.

Commenting on the resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia, Garibashvili said that Russia had unilaterally resumed direct flights with Georgia in May and that there had been no formal talks with Moscow on the issue. Garibashvili claimed that there was nothing scandalous in the statement, as both the resumption of direct flights and the lifting of visa requirements required the approval of the Georgian government. "The Russian president said he made the decisions unilaterally, and Lavrov confirmed this. Of course, in order for the decisions to come into effect, they had to be approved by the Georgian government, namely the Aviation Agency of the Ministry of Economy. Otherwise, no flights could be operated," Garibashvili said. He stressed that his office had done everything very openly and welcomed Moscow's decision on the flights as beneficial for Georgian citizens living in Russia.

Commenting on the impeachment proceedings against President Salome Zourabichvili, the Georgian Prime Minister noted that there was no connection between the proceedings initiated by the authorities of the ruling Georgian Dream party against the President, Salome Zourabichvili, and the country's aspirations to obtain the status of a candidate for membership of the European Union later this year. The Prime Minister said the impeachment process had become an obligation to ensure the protection of the Constitution. The leader also accused the president of sabotaging the country by claiming that Georgia did not deserve the status sought by the EU, that the authorities were not taking measures to meet the conditions for EU candidacy, and that their foreign policy priorities were unclear. The Georgian leader added that he had denied the presidential delegation permission to travel abroad in order to stop her anti-state efforts in response to her serious remarks. Garibashvili claimed that while his office had always encouraged the President to travel abroad, Zourabichvili's unfounded accusations had eroded even the minimal trust that he said had previously existed between her and the government.

Commenting on the recent scandal over the use of the state budget to finance his trips abroad, Irakli Garibashvili insisted that he and his family had never used the state budget to pay for their travels. He noted: "Unlike your leader Saakashvili [former Georgian president], I deliberately paid my family [travel expenses]," adding that his government never used budget funds for personal expenses to show the contrast, the difference in style, between the current and previous governments. The Georgian leader added that he came from a wealthy family and insisted that his family's income was transparent and reflected in official statements. "After graduating from university, even before politics, I worked with the richest man in this country [referring to Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party] and managed the richest fund [Cartu Charity Foundation]. My family has never been poor," Garibashvili said.

Commenting on the possibility of Georgia imposing sanctions on Russia, Garibashvili said that if his country imposed sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, it would lead to a 10% [economic] decline in the country and a collapse in all directions. "This is yet another incompatibility and goes against our nation's stated position. We have made it clear that we won't do anything [that harms the national interests of our people]," Garibashvili noted.

Commenting on the EU candidacy, the Georgian Prime Minister said that the country deserved to be granted the status of a candidate for membership of the European Union, taking into account the reforms and progress made towards this goal, as well as its challenging geopolitical situation. He added that he had firmly told the leaders of European countries that not granting Georgia the status would be another strategic mistake and would be absolutely unacceptable and insulting to the country and its citizens. Garibashvili claimed that his government was in a leading position in all respects compared to the other members of the Associated Trio, Ukraine and Moldova, which, unlike Georgia, were granted the status in 2022. He said that neither Ukraine nor Moldova had fulfilled any conditions in the past year while receiving the status in advance, and that his government had done many things in the past year to make the process open and transparent.

Commenting on the Georgian Security Service's report on the plan by representatives of the former United National Movement government to overthrow the authorities, Irakli Garibashvili said his government would not allow any non-entities and enemies inside or outside the country to create any kind of disturbance. Garibashvili added that the country's special services were monitoring the situation. "This is a very serious statement. The State Security Service has information that it has deemed appropriate to share with the public at this time. It is not news that certain radical groups have tried and are trying to create destabilisation, disorder and chaos," he noted. Garibashvili stressed that anyone who tries to create disorder will be punished in an exemplary manner according to the law.