How to remove paint and rust from outdoor chairs

No. The rust is inconsequential and those pipes will likely outlive the gas meter equipment itself. The reason that the rust is at the threads is because the threads are not painted well on purpose; it prevents a good seal when they're putting the gas meter together.

Depending on your gas company's policies, painting the gas meter could be a violation of your customer agreement with them.

Using evaporust, CLR, TSP, or some other cleaning agent on the threads could dissolve the pipe dope and cause a leak. I would leave it alone.

Try some very fine steel wool, #0000 should do it. Confine it to the paint spots only, as best you can. You may try using small amounts of the spirit you tried with that. If the wool dulls the shine of the floor finish test an area first and apply wax over the treated area when done to restore the luster. You could also try automotive scratch removing compound. Use a little bit on a rag and buff the paint out.