On November 7, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze participated in the Fifth European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Hungary. He was accompanied by Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Head of the Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani.
It was the head of government’s first official visit abroad since the October 26 elections, which most European leaders did not congratulate the ruling Georgian Dream party on, amid allegations or widespread violations and calls for their investigation by both local and international actors.
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The Summit was hosted by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, as Hungary currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The event brought together leaders from some 40 countries. The participants included the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sparse Meetings
At the opening of the summit, PM Irakli Kobakhidze told the media, “…We will also have the opportunity to discuss with the European leaders all those issues that are of course interesting in terms of Georgia-EU relations.”
The Prime Minister had only three meetings. He met with Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic.
According to the government press release, at the meeting with the CoE Secretary General, Alain Berset, the issues of cooperation between Georgia and the CoE were discussed, focusing on the CoE’s efforts to help Georgia on its European integration path, as well as issues of European security and the situation in the occupied Georgian territories.
“We engaged in a constructive discussion on current challenges and prospects for future cooperation. We are excited to deepen our partnership with the CoE, a leading international organization that plays a crucial role in fostering democracy, human rights, and rule of law throughout Europe and beyond,” reads PM Kobakhidze’s rather broad tweet after the meeting.
The meeting with Charles Michel, according to the official reports, was about Georgia-EU relations and ongoing processes in the country. “The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government of Georgia is committed to the country’s European integration, and the support and fair approaches of partners is of special importance in this process,” the official press release of the government administration reads. It also says that PM Kobakhidze reaffirmed the Georgian authorities’ readiness for “open” and “frank” discussions on the ongoing processes in the country.
Irakli Kobakhidze’s tweet carries the same emphasis on the need for the EU’s “fair” approach to partner countries and the Georgian authorities’ readiness for “open” dialogue.
“…I reaffirmed my government’s commitment to European integration and emphasized the importance of partner support and a fair approach in this process. We also addressed recent developments in Georgia, and I reiterated our readiness for open and sincere dialogue,” Kobakhidze tweeted after the meeting.
Speaking to journalists, Kobakhidze added that he had “very friendly” and “constructive” talks with Michel. He said he told Michel that “the opposition is struggling very much to mobilize people, that “the opposition does not have public support” and that “the opposition has no resources.”
In none of the above meetings, according to official reports, did the counterparts congratulate PM Kobakhidze on the official victory of Georgian Dream in the elections.
However, the official press release of the Georgian government administration on the meeting with the EU’s radical right leader Robert Fico of Slovakia, said that Fico “congratulated Irakli Kobakhidze on the ruling party’s victory in the recent parliamentary elections.”
The press release says, “Attention in the meeting was paid to the positive dynamic in the development of bilateral relations across a variety of areas, and commitment to further deepening this partnership was reaffirmed.” It also adds: “Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze thanked his Slovak counterpart for strongly supporting Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The Head of Government emphasized that European integration is one of the top priorities of the country’s foreign policy, and the support of partners in this process is of special importance.”
PM Irakli Kobakhidze invited PM Robert Fico for an official visit to Georgia.
“…We emphasized the strong bonds of friendship that have established a solid partnership between Georgia and Slovakia over the years. I expressed my sincere appreciation for Slovakia’s steadfast support of Georgia’s foreign policy objectives, particularly our aspirations for EU membership, which remains a top priority for our government,” Irakli Kobakhidze tweeted after the meeting.
Panel Discussions
During the summit, PM Irakli Kobakhidze participated in the panel discussion on economic security and connectivity.
According to the official press release of the Government Administration, he spoke about sustainable economic development, Georgia’s role in connectivity with the EU, ongoing and planned infrastructure projects such as the East-West Freeway and the Anaklia Deep Sea Port. He also spoke about the security importance of the Black Sea.
In addition, according to the Government Administration, PM Kobakhidze was set to deliver speech in the Summit’s concluding plenary session, but no information has yet been released.
Comments with Media
PM Irakli Kobakhidze spoke with Georgian media in Budapest. Among other things, he was asked about the October 26 elections.
Praising Georgia’s, Slamming Moldova’s Elections
Speaking to Georgian journalists, PM Irakli Kobakhidze was asked about the assessment of the Georgian elections by the country’s international partners, especially in light of concerns about electoral fraud. He again praised the October 26 elections and its results, “In fact, these elections decided, among other things, the fate of the country’s European future,” PM Kobakhidze said, adding that the opposition’s failure was “decisive” for Georgia to continue on its European path.
He again reiterated the plans to bring the country into the EU by 2030. “…by the year 2030, Georgia will be the most ready [among other candidate countries] to become a member of the EU.”
Asked to comment on his sparse meetings and lack of congratulations for GD’s victory, in contrast to Moldova’s Maia Sandu, who was congratulated by most of the summit’s participants, Prime Minister Kobakhidze denounced Moldova’s recent elections and referendum.
PM Kobakhidze claimed that it was not the Georgian elections, but the elections in Moldova and the United States where the secrecy of the ballot was violated. “In Georgia, the elections were conducted with the highest standards… The Georgian elections had a much higher quality than the Moldovan and American elections,” he said.
He said that there is a problem of “double standards” and “injustice”. He said that only 45 percent of Moldovans support EU integration, that Moldova is a member of the CIS, as opposed to Georgia, and lamented that it’s a “clear injustice” that there are different EU approaches to Georgia and Moldova.
He said “some people,” whom he did not name, wanted to return the forces of the previous government to power.
Repeal of Foreign Agents Law, Anti-LGBT Legislation Need “Concrete Arguments”
PM Irakli Kobakhidze also addressed Western leaders’ demands that the Foreign Agents Law and the anti-LGBT law be repealed if the Georgian government wants to move forward on its European path.
“If someone has problems with the [anti-LGBT] legislation, then they should tell us exactly what they don’t like, which article and which norm,” Kobakhidze said, after reiterating that Georgia must ensure that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman.” The Prime Minister said that in some EU countries, the legislation allows gender changes in documents, which he called “total ugliness,” something, as he believes, Georgia needs to prevent.
As for the Foreign Agents Law, he repeated the same need for concrete arguments why the law should be repealed, claiming that the law is merely about transparency.
Georgia-Ukraine Relations
The lack of contact between the Ukrainian and Georgian delegations during the summit was particularly noticeable.
The opposition-leaning Mtavari TV took the quick occasion to talk to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy during the summit. He told Mtavari that “it’s a pity [that] for today we don’t have connections with the Georgian government.”
As for PM Irakli Kobakhidze, he said he “greeted” the Ukrainian President, but did not have a discussion with him.
Absent Leader
President Salome Zurabishvili, albeit from the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, spoke by phone to EU leaders attending the summit.
On November 6, the President’s Administration reported that before the kick-off of the Summit, President Zurabishvili spoke with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of Poland Andrzej Duda, the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, the President of Estonia Alar Karis, the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo, and the Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson.
The content of the discussions was not disclosed.
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