Kobakhidze Offers Reset With West, Threatens to End Rustaveli Protests

In a wide-ranging interview with pro-government Rustavi 2 on October 6, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the European Union of supporting attempts to overthrow the GD government, while calling for a reset of relations with the bloc. He also pledged “methodic” steps to end the ongoing rallies on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue, warning of “zero compassion” toward the demonstrators. Kobakhidze further confirmed that the ruling party will seek to ban opposition parties through the Constitutional Court.

On EU, U.S.

While accusing the European Union of backing protesters and “foreign agents,” Kobakhidze said that Georgian Dream seeks to rebuild ties with the West if Brussels and Washington, which he has often claimed are influenced by the “deep state,” stop viewing his party as an “enemy.”

“The deep state has one simple model and approach – either you are an agent or you are an enemy. This approach must change,” he said. “The only thing we ask is this: we cannot become agents, but don’t look at us as enemies, look at us as partners. If they look at us that way, then everything will change.”

Yet he claimed that what he calls the “European bureaucracy” continues to act against Georgia’s national interests.

“The European bureaucracy’s so-called deep state is directly engaged in anti-state activities against our national interests,” he said. “The statement made by the EU spokesperson, who openly voiced support for an attempt to overthrow the government in Georgia, reflects this.”

Despite what he called years of “outside-supported revolutionary attempts,” Kobakhidze said Georgian Dream is now ready to leave things in the past. He stressed that Georgian Dream acts pragmatically, not emotionally.

“There is no resentment in politics,” he said. “Everyone has seen that over these 13 years we have acted without emotion — a principle personally set by Bidzina Ivanishvili. If we were driven by emotions, we would have long said we no longer want relations with the European Union. But we understand we are a European country, and it is necessary to maintain and reset relations with the EU. The same applies to the United States.”

Regarding the relations with the U.S., Kobakhidze claimed that “the American bureaucracy viewed us as an enemy” under the Biden administration – an attitude he said has changed under the Trump administration, but still persists in Europe.

“We are ready for a reset of relations [with the U.S.],” he said. “What matters is that someone shows us they no longer see us as enemies. That is our minimal request.”

Kobakhidze also said Georgians “no longer follow blindly either the U.S. ambassador or the EU ambassador,” calling that “one of our main achievements.” During the same interview, he thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for ending what he described as “attacks from the U.S. on Georgia,” saying it proved “the new administration is waging a battle against the deep state.”

Threatening Rustaveli protests, “zero compassion”

Kobakhidze pledged to end the daily rallies near the parliament, where groups of protesters have gathered for more than 310 days nonstop. Echoing the Interior Ministry’s warnings to treat upcoming rallies as a “continuation” of the October 4 unrest, Kobakhidze vowed “methodic and systemic steps” and “zero compassion” towards what he said were 100 “foreign agents gathering at the rallies.”

“Let them wait for our methodic and systemic steps. We will not let 100 or 150 people commit violence against 4 million people – of course, we will not allow that. When 100 shameful foreign agents come out and perpetrate violence against 4 million people, against their economy, against their national interests, of course, we will under no circumstances allow that. And again, zero compassion for these people. We will act in accordance with the law and the constitution. Everything will be protected,” Kobakhidze said.

“I do not rule out that among those 150 people standing on Rustaveli [Avenue], 10–15 people may really be sincere fools. But our compassion toward them will be zero as well, because foolishness is also punishable when you oppose national interests. When you realize – you don’t have enough intelligence to grasp the elementary fact that you are also written into a scenario operating on foreign orders — that is also a kind of crime […] With our methodical approach, these people will receive an answer for that one-year, 100-person violence that they commit against four million people – against Georgia’s national interests and our economy,” he added.

On Banning Opposition

Kobakhidze also confirmed during the interview that the ruling party would appeal to the Constitutional Court to ban the opposition, saying their case is “supported by indisputable evidence.” He pledged to cleanse the political spectrum of the “foreign agents and residents.”

“We have already started preparing for the 2028 parliamentary elections as of October 5 – we are preparing in every direction, and we hope that by the 2028 elections, our country will face them with a healthier political spectrum, not with the ugliness, including Lelo, Gakharia, United National Movement, Ahali – I won’t even mention the others,” Kobakhidze said, “But in a healthier form, with a new political spectrum.”

He added, “Foreign agents should not remain in Georgian politics. None of the foreign agents should remain. For this, we will use all legal measures – including constitutional ones.”

“Everyone knows very well who the ‘collective United National Movement’ is and who the agents in Georgian politics are – this includes four well-known parties [that passed the mandatory 5-percent threshold in the 2024 parliamentary election], and several smaller political groups that have their roots in the UNM or are currently aligned with its agenda,” he added.

“All of this will be substantiated in our lawsuit against each party, and then we will await the decision of the Constitutional Court,” Kobakhidze further noted. “We believe our lawsuit will be supported by indisputable evidence.”

Also Read:

• 06/10/2025 – International Reactions to October 4 Elections
• 05/10/2025 – EU’s Kallas, Kos Comment on Georgia’s Local Vote, Speak of ‘Extensive Crackdown on Dissent’
• 05/10/2025 – Kobakhidze Doubles Down on the Narrative of Retribution
  

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