Georgian PM: Gov’t will implement only those economic projects that ensure protection of Georgia’s national, demographic interests

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday emphasised that his Government would implement only those economic projects that ensure the protection of Georgia’s national and demographic interests, reiterating transparency in the Eagle Hills agreement and readiness to answer all key questions.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted that commercial confidentiality in the agreement was both legally grounded and consistent with international business practices, designed to give the investing company flexibility in future negotiations.

“As for granting commercial confidentiality status to the agreement, this is based, on the one hand, on the Georgian legislation, and on the other hand, on the international practice. The state has nothing to hide from its citizens and is ready to answer all questions regarding the agreement. However, it is in the interest of any commercial company that the details of the agreement remain confidential, so that it has more freedom in future negotiations with other potential partners. This is the only reason why the agreement was given commercial confidentiality status”, he said.

The Prime Minister criticised political forces for speculating about secrecy despite being informed of these standards.

“When the business leader of a political party is fully aware of this and that party still speculates on this topic, it is impossible not to recall how heavy the burden is of being a foreign agent. Once again, I repeat - we are ready to answer any question regarding all the key aspects of the agreement. As for the general development plan, it will be approved by the Ministry of Economy and the relevant municipalities transparently, in full compliance with all standard legal procedures”, he noted.

He drew parallels to a previous xenophobic campaign around an alleged “Russification” threat, arguing that those warnings proved baseless and were spread by foreign-backed actors seeking to mislead society.

“Let me remind you of the fake xenophobic campaign launched three years ago about the so-called Russification of Georgia and the undermining of national security. At that time, we told the public that everything was under state control and promised that neither Russification of Georgia would happen nor would there be any threat to our national interests. Today, three years later, everyone can see that the false alarm spread by foreign agents - which misled quite a number of honest citizens - had no basis in reality, and the government fully fulfilled its promise”, Kobakhidze said.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the state would safeguard the nation’s interests while pursuing projects that boost economic progress and improve living standards.

“Today, we are making the exact same promise to our fellow citizens. The Government will fully protect Georgia’s national and demographic interests, and only under these conditions will every project be implemented that contributes to Georgia’s economic progress and brings greater prosperity to our country’s population”, he concluded.