“Our only condition is that these debates are conducted healthily, and that their sole purpose is to provide the public with accurate and comprehensive information on all topics,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.

The Prime Minister believes these debates should be subject-specific and thematic.

“This is how we envisage these discussions, conducted openly in the public sphere. The rest is also a matter of consultation with the media. We hope to be able to agree on these formats very soon. Personally, I am also ready to engage in such discussions. Our only aim is to facilitate healthy discussions and debates. This is the most effective way to reduce polarisation in Georgia as much as possible,” he said.

Irakli Kobakhidze emphasised that, for the Georgian people to make informed choices, they must have the opportunity to hear the positions of all groups aspiring to power publicly.

“We are committed to restoring the right to debate to the people and preventing informal forces, what we might call their ‘Georgian’ agency, from imposing their own agenda upon us,” the Prime Minister stated.