Georgian Prime Minister Acknowledges 'Worsened' Ties With President

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has acknowledged reported tensions between his team and the administration of President Giorgi Margvelashvili.

Talking to students in Tbilisi on September 15, Garibashvili said he and his associates had not expected "such a radical worsening of mutual relations" with Margvelashvili.

On September 11, Margvelashvili said his intended visit to UN headquarters later this month had been "thwarted" by the government.

In July, Garibashvili announced his intention to address the annual UN General Assembly in New York.

Margvelashvili later said he had accepted an invitation from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to attend a climate summit on September 23, on the eve of the General Assembly.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, a tycoon whose coalition defeated longtime leader Mikheil Saakashvili's party in a 2012 election, named Garabashvili as his successor in November 2013.

Margvelashvili was elected president in October 2013.

Based on reporting by apsny.ge and civil.ge