Problems remain, but the meeting with the Ukrainian President was frie...

According to the PM, the conversation was oriented on the future, and the “spirit was significant.”“We didn’t go into depth, including regarding the problems. The problems haven’t gone anywhere, but we need to be future-oriented. I have never mentioned Zelenskyy in a negative context for a simple reason, and despite problems, Zelenskyy is the President of the country, which is in a state of war, and this country is a friend of Georgia. Therefore, I always measure my words. The problems remain but we should be future-oriented,” he said.Irakli Kobakhidze went on to say that since the meeting was closed-door, its details could not be disclosed.“I cannot disclose the details. The only thing I can say is that our conversation was essentially focused on the future. The spirit and mood of this conversation, expressed on both sides, was friendly. I cannot go into details about what problems we reviewed and what we did not discuss, since the meeting was closed and therefore the content cannot be made public. The problems remain. Did not Podolyak (Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine) or Danilov (former secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine) make statements after yesterday? Or the ambassador was not recalled after yesterday, or other steps were not taken after yesterday?! Of course, the problems which existed still stand. But we should be oriented on the future and this is our spirit,” he said.Irakli Kobakhidze noted: “We support the Ukrainian people, we are in solidarity with Ukraine and we are interested develop firendly relations both between the countries and governments.”Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the eighth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Yerevan, on May 4.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media about his meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the eighth summit of the European Political Community.According to Zelenskyy, continuing dialogue at all levels is important.“Met with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze. There are indeed unresolved issues between our states. It is important to have dialogue at all levels. Ukraine has always respected and continues to respect Georgia, its sovereignty, and its people. We will continue our cooperation going forward.” Zelenskyy wrote.

European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs adopts report on Ge...

The report, based on the European Commission’s 2025 assessment, notes that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has put the country’s foreign policy at risk.Targeted sanctions and the “end of impunity”MEPs underline that the personal sanctions imposed against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leaders of the ruling team, judges and prosecutors are a crucial tool in the fight against impunity.“The draft report underlines that the sanctions imposed by the EU and its member states against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the main leaders of the Georgian Dream... and other officials responsible for electoral fraud and human rights violations are an important tool,” the explanatory note reads.The document welcomes the fact that, despite the lack of unanimity at EU level, individual member states are imposing restrictions individually and calls on others to do the same.The threat of visa restrictionsThe European Parliament supports the European Commission’s proposal to suspend visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and official passports. However, the document regrets that, due to the opposition of Hungary and Slovakia, it has not been possible to implement a uniform visa ban across the EU at this stage.The report contains a direct warning to Georgia For the population too:“Continued inaction by the Georgian authorities could lead to the suspension of visa-free travel for the entire population, for which the Georgian Dream will be fully responsible.”“Moscow Mechanism” and international supervisionThe MEPs also welcome the launch of the “Moscow Mechanism” by the OSCE at the initiative of 24 member states. This mechanism envisages sending an expert mission to Georgia to assess the extent to which Tbilisi is fulfilling its democratic commitments undertaken at the international level.The document expresses full solidarity with the Georgian people, who continue to fight for a European future “against the backdrop of growing repression and disinformation.”

Bochorishvili wants to “reset” relations with Washington, but blackmai...

According to Bochorishvili, Georgia is back on the agenda of the United States administration, which is confirmed by the active consultations that have begun with the Trump administration. The minister noted that the communication carried out since February, including a phone call with the Prime Minister and visits by State Department representatives, is assessed as “positive and effective.”“The legacy that the Trump administration received was not easy. However, today there is a real desire to restore relations,” the minister said, adding that another high-level visit of the State Department to Georgia is planned in May. According to him, the full restoration of strategic cooperation will largely depend on the political will of the American side.Speaking about relations with the European Union, the Foreign Minister stressed that talking to Georgia in the “language of blackmail” will not yield results. He rejected accusations of the government’s “anti-European rhetoric” and blamed the Brussels bureaucracy for hindering the processes.“The dialogue and the European integration process have been suspended by the European Union. We have never refused this process,” Bochorishvili noted.He also drew attention to the recent statements of the EU Ambassador, Pavel Herchinsky, calling them “direct threats”, which cause legitimate concern in Georgian society.According to the minister, despite the attempts of individual actors to impose sanctions or use other pressure mechanisms, it will be difficult to reach a consensus on this issue among EU member states, as many states realize the injustice of the current approaches.

Mamuka Mdinaradze appointed State Minister and Vice Prime Minister

The above-mentioned personnel changes are part of the recent rotation in the government structure.On April 21, it became known that the change of the Minister of Internal Affairs: Gela (Geka) Geladze, who had headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs since May 2025, was transferred to the position of Head of the State Security Service (SSS).Geladze replaced Mamuka Mdinaradze as the head of the SSS. In turn, the new ministerial portfolio for Mdinaradze was approved by the Parliament on April 29.It is important to clarify regarding the functioning of the new State Minister's Office: Mamuka Mdinaradze's office will not have separate staff units. In accordance with the legislative amendment, the work and staff support of the Minister's Office will be fully provided by the government administration.According to the "Georgian Dream", this decision aims to strengthen coordination between law enforcement agencies and optimize the management process without additional increase in administrative costs.

Kobakhidze: Comparing Georgia to Ukraine and Moldova is “empty specula...

Kobakhidze made a statement on the current situation in Ukraine and Moldova, noting that putting these countries ahead of Georgia is unrealistic.“We all see the situation in Ukraine and Moldova. Unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult. After 2022, the processes have developed severely - the economy has collapsed, the infrastructure is destroyed, the humanitarian situation is extremely difficult, corruption is rampant. As for Moldova, it is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, which is reflected in their economic growth. Over the past 5 years, we have managed to increase the difference between the economies of Georgia and Moldova by approximately $ 14 billion,” the Prime Minister said.According to the head of government, in order to end the political crisis in Georgia, a legal ban on the “Collective National Movement” is necessary, for which the ruling team has already applied to the Constitutional Court.Kobakhidze compared the opposition unity to the German National Socialist Party.“I compare the German National Socialist Party in its essence to the collective “National Movement”, which is a fascist-Bolshevik union in content. Our desire is that parliamentary elections be held without these four radical unconstitutional parties. Our country cannot constantly revolve in this vicious circle, when on one side there is the ruling party and on the other side there is a radical, anti-state and anti-church opposition. This vicious circle must be broken,” Kobakhidze noted.The Prime Minister emphasized that the demand to ban the opposition is based on their past activities and constant “sabotage”. According to him, the lawsuit presents many arguments, including “human torture, business racketeering and media hijacking”. According to Kobakhidze, after the radical forces are removed, the arena will be given over to a “healthy political spectrum” by 2028.In the context of foreign policy, Irakli Kobakhidze also spoke about the expectation of a reset of relations with the US and specified the timing of communication.“There are very specific plans. You will see specific results by the end of May, communication will take place in specific directions. We have a specific agenda agreed with the American side and a number of communications will take place by the end of May. I did not say April, I am telling you May,” he added.