Georgian PM accuses “deep state” of backing political proxies rather than national development

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday said that injected money into Georgia’s economy only once - between 2009 and 2011 - specifically to preserve the Saakashvili regime and its “foreign agents”, arguing that this action aligned with a deep state agenda aimed at keeping countries weak and dependent rather than providing genuine assistance.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze criticized what he described as the selective and politically driven approach of Western institutions toward Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, arguing that genuine support would involve direct investment aimed at strengthening their economies - something he claimed has been deliberately withheld.

“I want to once again address the very unfortunate policy pursued by the European bureaucracy - not only toward the Georgian people, but also toward the Moldovan and Ukrainian peoples, as well as all nations seeking European Union membership. There are countries that European institutions have the capacity to genuinely support, yet they choose not to do so. If you truly want to help a country, you must invest in and strengthen its economy”, he said.

The Prime Minister argued that genuine support requires direct investment in a country’s economy to strengthen its foundations, claiming that such assistance had been provided to Georgia only once.

“This means strengthening the country in question, which was done only once by the previous US administration and the European bureaucracy - between 2009 and 2011 - when the situation after the war was extremely difficult and foreign agents, the Saakashvili regime, had to be saved. The only time money was injected into the economy was between 2009 and 2011”, Kobakhidze noted.

He contrasted this with what he described as Georgia’s current strong economic performance, while also pointing to Moldova’s economic contraction under a government pursuing closer ties with European institutions.

“Georgia is a small country, and our economy is currently worth $38 billion; it was much smaller years ago. Nothing was needed to get Georgia back on its feet, just as nothing was needed to get Moldova back on its feet”, the PM stressed.

“Moldova is facing an extremely difficult and crisis situation, and its economy has contracted over the past three years. Over the past five years, we have widened the gap between the Georgian and Moldovan economies by $13.5 billion”, Kobakhidze continued.

He further argued that the deep state follows a clear logic - agents should not become too strong, as weak countries and populations are easier to control and subjugate.

“The same individuals supported by European bureaucrats are currently in power in Moldova, yet the Moldovan people receive no meaningful support. This follows the deep state’s logic: one must not empower their own agents. A nation must remain weak to be easily subjugated, along with its population. This is the hallmark of the deep state policy - a strategy that has victimized the people of Moldova and Ukraine, and one that has fundamentally deprived the Georgian people of any substantial or qualitative assistance over the years”, he concluded.