Kobakhidze Attends European Political Community Summit in Yerevan

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze attended the eighth European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan on May 4, where he addressed a roundtable discussion and spoke, among others, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The summit brought together dozens of leaders from across the continent, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Polish PM Donald Tusk, British PM Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. In addition, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney participated as a guest.

Irakli Kobakhidze, accompanied by Georgian Dream Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and Government Administration Head Levan Zhorzholiani, arrived in Yerevan on Sunday, May 3.

The summit took place on May 4 under the motto “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe.” The European Council said before its start, “At a time of profound geopolitical transformation, leaders will discuss how to cooperate more closely and coordinate action to strengthen democratic resilience, advance connectivity and reinforce economic and energy security.” The ECP summit preceded the first-ever EU-Armenia bilateral summit on May 4-5.

Kobakhidze had also attended previous EPC summits, including in Copenhagen and Tirana. Georgian Dream, however, remains largely isolated from the country’s traditional Western partners following the 2024 contested elections, concerns over democratic backsliding and authoritarian drift, and anti-EU actions.

Exchanges, Meetings

“The summit will be used for bilateral meetings, and in my speech, I will focus on Georgia’s special role in Europe in terms of connectivity. We connect seven countries to the Black Sea and therefore to the West in economic and trade terms, and of course, we will actively discuss this,” Kobakhidze said in a social media post at the start of the summit, sharing photos from the event, including those showing a brief exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron and a handshake with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Georgian government administration reposted several photos on its website, including what appeared to be a screenshot of Kobakhidze shaking hands with Zelenskyy during a group photo of leaders. Pro-government Imedi TV also shared an eight-second clip of Kobakhidze’s exchange with Macron, along with a video of leaders posing for a group photo that also shows Kobakhidze shaking hands with Zelenskyy.

The Georgian government later reported on what it called a “meeting” between Irakli Kobakhidze and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the two countries’ foreign ministers, Maka Botchorishvili and Andrii Sybiha, in attendance. According to the government administration, the meeting was held at the Ukrainian side’s initiative and focused on bilateral relations. Sybiha separately reported on his pull-aside meeting with Botchorishvili.

Irakli Kobakhidze, together with Maka Botchorishvili and Levan Zhorzholiani, also met with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset. According to the Georgian Dream government administration, the meeting focused on “productive cooperation” between Georgia and the CoE. The press release added that Kobakhidze “reaffirmed the readiness of the [Georgian] authorities towards dialogue and for constructive engagement in both bilateral and multilateral formats.”

“The Georgian side expressed concern over the growing tendency to use international mechanisms for politically motivated purposes and voiced hope that this practice will change,” the press release added, concluding that “particular emphasis was placed on the commitment of the Government of Georgia to safeguarding fundamental freedoms, advancing democratic reforms and ensuring the rule of law.”

EPC Roundtable

Within the framework of the summit, Kobakhidze also participated in a roundtable discussion on “Strengthening Connectivity and Economic Security.”

Speaking at the session, Kobakhidze highlighted “Georgia’s distinctive role in enhancing connectivity and highlighted major infrastructure projects undertaken by the government to support this function, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, the development of modern highways and the Anaklia Deep Sea Port,” according to the Georgian government administration’s press release.

Kobakhidze also “emphasized the importance of diversifying transport and energy routes, referring in this context to the strategic significance of the Southern Gas Corridor and the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project,” and reaffirmed “Georgia’s readiness to continue close cooperation with partners.”

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre co-chaired the roundtable, while participants included Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu.

More to follow…

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