Ruling party's head: Georgia must avoid being pawn in bigger powers’ games

Georgia should not become a tool for advancing the interests of larger foreign powers, as these countries will ultimately negotiate among themselves regardless.

This was the key message from Kakha Kaladze, Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party and Mayor of Tbilisi, during a press briefing on May 30, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“Big countries will always strike deals between themselves. It’s up to smaller nations like ours not to let anyone use us to further their own agendas,” Kaladze said.

He also addressed recent strains in Georgia’s relations with Western countries, emphasising that Tbilisi has stood firm in protecting its national interests despite facing harsh criticism and pressure.

“We took a principled stand to defend our country, even amid insults, false accusations, and ongoing political blackmail. All of this occurred because we chose to defend Georgia’s sovereignty and interests,” Kaladze added.

Georgia earned EU candidate status at the end of 2023. However, relations with the European Union soured significantly in 2024 after the ruling party passed a contentious "foreign agents" law, despite widespread protests and pressure from Western governments.

On November 28, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would freeze the start of EU accession talks. Still, Georgian officials say they remain open to restarting the integration process if the EU takes meaningful steps and stops what they call political coercion over the country’s EU ambitions.

By Tamilla Hasanova