Georgian PM says Gov’t has made significant efforts since 2022 to prevent war in country

In an interview with the Swiss weekly magazine Die Weltwoche, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said his Government had made significant efforts since 2022 to prevent war in the country.

He emphasised that the Georgian Dream Government was the first Government in the country’s modern history - since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s - that had managed to maintain peace.

He highlighted Georgia’s difficult past, recalling that the country had experienced four different wars since the 1990s.

“We understand very well the true value of peace. The year 2022 was extremely difficult for Georgia because there was significant interest in making our country a second front in the war. However, we protected our national interests and managed to prevent war in Georgia”, the PM said.

“But we defended our national interests and managed to avoid war in the country. Therefore, our election campaign was also focused on the issue of peace. [...]. We have managed to maintain peace, which is one of the main achievements of the Georgian Government over the past two years. So, peace is the most important issue on the agenda of our country even today”, he continued.

The Prime Minister also expressed hope that the war in Ukraine would end soon, citing signals from the new US administration as grounds for optimism.

“When we talk about Ukraine, we are, of course, extremely concerned about the situation in Ukraine. [...]. The Ukrainian people are suffering a lot. This is the main problem. So many people have died. The infrastructure is destroyed. The economy is destroyed. Ukraine has lost 20 percent of its territory. This is the current situation. The Ukrainian people did not deserve such results. We very much hope that the war will end soon. The messages of the new United States administration make us optimistic that the war will end more or less soon”, he concluded.