Georgian PM: Georgia’s well-being must first and foremost be secured by Georgian state and people

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said Georgia’s prosperity and national interests must be protected primarily by the Georgian state, government, and people, arguing that no foreign country will act against its own interests for Georgia’s benefit.

Speaking at a briefing at the Government Administration, Kobakhidze stated that certain European Union member states and institutions operate in line with political interests and what he described as directives received from informal oligarchic forces.

The Prime Minister also reiterated claims that, following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the previous US administration, as well as European leaders and bureaucrats, directly or indirectly urged Georgia to open a “second front” against Russia.

“After the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, both the previous US administration and European bureaucrats and leaders repeatedly demanded, directly or indirectly, that Georgia open a second front against Russia”, Kobakhidze said. He argued that such a move would have endangered Georgia’s sovereignty, national identity, economy, and even its existence as a state.

He further added that these developments demonstrate what he described as a fundamental principle of international relations - that every state acts primarily according to its own interests.

Kobakhidze questioned whether Georgia should expect countries such as the United States, EU member states, Russia, or any other power to act against their own interests for Georgia’s benefit.

“The answer is clear”, he said. “The Georgian state, government, and people must take care of Georgia’s well-being first and foremost, because no one else will do for us what we must do ourselves”.

He added that Georgia cannot expect other countries to defend its national interests, arguing that every state prioritizes its own national interests above all else.