Georgian PM says European bureaucracy holds Bidzina Ivanishvili responsible for blocking UNM’s return to power

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday slammed European bureaucracy during a televised debate on Rustavi 2, asserting that Western officials have never truly accepted the political transition that took place in Georgia in 2012.

According to Kobakhidze, the previous United National Movement government - which he characterised as a “bloody regime” - enjoyed an absolute “green light” from both the European bureaucracy and the US administration of that time.

He argued that the political shift in 2012 would have been impossible without what he described as the “jeweler-like, precise maneuvers” executed by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“They cannot forgive the fact that even after 2012, they perceive Bidzina Ivanishvili as the main guarantor of sovereignty in this country, and they blame him for the fact that the collective United National Movement could not be returned to power by any means, despite all their efforts”, Kobakhidze stated.

Addressing long-standing criticisms regarding informal governance, the Prime Minister pointed to the tenure of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, noting that Gakharia himself had publicly stated Ivanishvili did not interfere in his official duties.

Kobakhidze emphasised that Ivanishvili’s current role as the Honorary Chair of the Georgian Dream and a member of the political council is fully transparent and backed by a democratic mandate from the electorate.

“Everything is exactly in line with old European standards - back when Europe was truly Europe and democracy held real value”, Kobakhidze said, arguing that Georgia’s current governance model mirrors those traditional Western ideals.

The Prime Minister redirected the criticism toward Brussels, claiming that the true issue lies within the current European bureaucracy, which he alleged operates under “informal influences”.

To illustrate what he described as a broader “identity crisis” in the West, Kobakhidze pointed to demographic and cultural shifts in major European nations.

“If we look at leading European countries, like Germany, less than half of the population now identifies as Christian”, Kobakhidze remarked. “Just a few decades ago, this figure was over 90%, and now it is below 50%. From our perspective, this is the crystal-clear result of informal influences”.