Georgian PM: we are entering new chapter, where geography matters again, where ability to maintain relationships is economic necessity

We are entering a new chapter, one where geography matters again, where stability becomes a competitive advantage, and where the ability to maintain relationships across divides is not a diplomatic nicety, but an economic necessity, said on Tuesday the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the 2026 World Governments Summit in Dubai.

In his speech, Kobakhidze noted that the world's commercial routes were being redrawn not by the invisible hand of market economics, but by the very visible fist of geopolitics.

“Consider what has happened to global trade in just the past few years. The northern corridors that once carried goods efficiently between Europe and Asia have been severely affected by the war in Ukraine. Supply chains that took decades to build were disrupted overnight. Businesses that planned for efficiency suddenly found themselves planning for survival. Look eastward, and we see Pacific trade routes increasingly politicized by the Great Power tensions. Tariffs, sanctions, and strategic decoupling have transformed what was once the world’s most dynamic commercial relationship into a complex geopolitical contest”, the PM said.

“Even the most traditional partnerships now face unprecedented friction. Trade disputes and policy differences have introduced uncertainty to once-stable relationships. This is not the economic globalization we once knew. We are entering a new chapter, one where geography matters again, where stability becomes a competitive advantage, and where the ability to maintain relationships across divides is not a diplomatic nicety, but an economic necessity”, he concluded.