Georgian President: Bidzina Ivanishvili’s merit lies in restoring common sense to Georgian politics

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Tuesday praised Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, as an exemplary figure who restored rationality to Georgia’s political sphere and aligned national politics with the country’s real interests.

In his interview with the American publication Responsible Statecraft, Kavelashvili highlighted the reforms implemented by the ruling Georgian Dream party and argued that these reforms positioned Georgia ahead of Moldova and Ukraine in meeting EU membership criteria.

He further noted that while Bidzina Ivanishvili’s political opponents had consistently accused him of being a Moscow agent, they had never provided concrete evidence for such claims.

“Mr. Ivanishvili has always been accused by his enemies of being an agent of Moscow, though no concrete evidence for this has ever been presented. What is unquestionable, however, is that Mr. Ivanishvili’s immense wealth, political patronage, extensive philanthropic activities and personal prestige mean that although he was only prime minister from 2012-2013, he remains the Honorary Chairman and dominant figure in Georgian Dream”, he noted.

The President stressed that Ivanishvili’s real legacy lies in restoring rationality to Georgia’s political sphere.

“He was responsible for restoring sanity to Georgian politics and refocusing Georgian policy on our real national interests…The number of people like him in Georgian history can be counted on the fingers of one hand. He is an example to the nation”, he concluded.