Kobakhidze Attends EPC Summit in Copenhagen
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is attending the seventh European Political Community (EPC) summit in Copenhagen, which began on October 2. GD Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and GD government administration head Levan Zhorzholiani are accompanying him.
Kobakhidze also attended the previous EPC summit in Tirana in May. The Georgian Dream government, however, remains largely isolated from the West after the disputed October 2024 parliamentary elections and the subsequent repression that followed the party’s November decision to halt EU accession.
Before the start of the summit in Copenhagen, the Danish Embassy, citing the Danish Foreign Ministry, told Civil.ge that the “EPC framework does not replace existing EU positions and policies concerning Georgia,” stressing, “The EU and Denmark have at multiple occasions expressed our concern over the deteriorating situation in Georgia.” The Danish Embassy emphasized that the EPC is “not an EU-format meeting,” but rather a “broader European forum for political and strategic dialogue.”
“Denmark continues the participation format set by the previous six host countries of the European EPC meetings, including the last meeting in Albania in May 2025,” the Embassy further said, “Accordingly, Georgia has been invited to the EPC in Copenhagen.”
On October 1, Kobakhidze attended a reception hosted by the King and the Queen of Denmark for the EPC summit participating leaders. The GD government released a photo of Irakli Kobakhidze with King Frederik X and Queen Mary Elizabeth, who welcomed the summit leaders at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
Speaking to Georgian reporters on October 2, Irakli Kobakhidze said the delegation “had a chance to speak to several leaders” during the previous night’s dinner. “Everywhere, we talk about our national interests, about our views on how we should move forward in the direction of European integration, which is one of the key priorities of our foreign policy,” he added.
On October 2, pro-government media released several video clips of Irakli Kobakhidze having only brief exchanges, each lasting less than half a minute, with Western leaders. The clips showed him greeting Danish PM Mette Frederiksen, speaking briefly with French President Emmanuel Macron, and shaking hands with Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez. The pro-government media tries to portray such moments as the GD’s breaking of the international isolation.
On October 2, Kobakhidze participated in a roundtable discussion titled “Economic Security – Reducing European Dependencies.” According to the GD government administration press release, Kobakhidze spoke about “Georgia’s transit potential and the country’s special role in the Middle Corridor.”
“Irakli Kobakhidze stressed Georgia’s strategic location and international cooperation in the field of mineral resources, noting that the country has the potential to contribute to stable and diversified supply chains of critical minerals not only for the European Union but also globally,” the press release said.
“Georgia’s goal is the further development of the Middle Corridor by improving its efficiency, which will strengthen the Corridor’s role as a reliable and competitive East-West transport route,” Kobakhidze said as per the Georgian press release. “Georgia’s strategic location allows us to serve as a vital transit gateway in the Middle Corridor,” he added. “Through its system of ports, railways, and highways, our country facilitates the rapid movement of cargo and increases the Corridor’s competitiveness, strengthening Georgia’s role in global supply chains,” he further said.
According to the press release, Kobakhidze also spoke about major ongoing infrastructure projects in Georgia, including the Anaklia deep-sea port and the modernization of railways, aimed at improving the country’s logistical capabilities.
On October 2, the GD government also reported that Georgia joined France’s initiative to establish a European coalition against narcotics after Kobakhidze signed the relevant declaration. According to the press release, Kobakhidze “highlighted the government’s strict policy against drugs,” and added that the “Georgian law enforcement had seized particularly large quantities of narcotics in recent months and arrested several dozen major drug dealers.”
Meetings
On October 2, Kobakhidze met with OSCE Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioğlu and the Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset.
Kobakhidze said his talks with Sinirlioğlu primarily focused on the October 4 local elections, noting he had presented “the general situation” related to the organization of the vote.
“We also spoke about various ongoing processes in the country, developments in the region, and addressed issues of bilateral cooperation as well,” Kobakhidze told reporters after the meeting.
Later, accompanied by GD FM Botchorishvili and GD government administration head Levan Zhorzholiani, Kobakhidze held talks with Berset. According to the GD government press office, the discussion “focused on cooperation between Georgia and the Council of Europe, as well as resolutions adopted by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).”
Kobakhidze expressed Georgia’s readiness to engage with both the Council of Europe and PACE, despite the country’s suspension of participation in the Assembly on January 30. He added, however, that “such cooperation must be based on specific principles.”
Kobakhidze thanked Berset “for his involvement in processes related to our country” and expressed hope that relations would continue “in a healthy manner.”
Kobakhidze said he also met with “more than 20 to 30 leaders” during the summit, without specifying who, focusing on Georgia’s interests and prospects for resetting relations with the European Union.
“It is interesting that several high-ranking leaders have expressed readiness to review our relations and to open a discussion on all issues related to Georgia’s aspirations toward the European Union, which is a very good sign of positive momentum,” he said. “As for the rest, let us wait; we have expressed our readiness that we are prepared for such discussions – public, open discussions. It is essential, without condition, for relations between Georgia and the European Union to be restored to a healthy state.”
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