“Georgian Dream is not hiding at any stage that their ultimate objective is to bring Georgia into Russia’s sphere of influence,” stated Tazo Datunashvili, member of Lelo–Strong Georgia, at a briefing.

According to him, in recent months, Georgian Dream representatives have found themselves at tables where Russia’s highest-ranking representatives sit on multiple occasions.

“After walking in mourning with the now-deceased leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas alongside the Iranian dictator, Irakli Kobakhidze has achieved a new success in Georgian diplomacy. This time, he was in Ashgabat together with Vladimir Putin. He had already met with Turkmenistan’s hereditary president, who inherited the presidency from his father like a monarch, and now Kobakhidze is seated in the same hall as Vladimir Putin, fawning over him.

Irakli Kobakhidze has decided to share the Georgian model of autocracy with other autocrats from the Eurasian continent. The fact is that in recent months, Georgian Dream representatives have already found themselves at tables where Russia’s highest-ranking representatives sit on several occasions. This time, the record has been broken, and the entity calling itself Georgia’s Prime Minister sits at one table with Vladimir Putin and listens to his speech. We heard his speech, which was directly addressed to Putin.

Since Georgian Dream halted European integration against the will of the majority of Georgian citizens, declared our partners enemies, and decided to make Georgia a member of a dark group of autocrats, placing it on the geopolitical map alongside Central Asia and Russia, we believe this is precisely why Kobakhidze did not miss the chance to go to Turkmenistan, mark the jubilee of Turkmenistan’s neutrality, and once again be recorded alongside high-ranking representatives of the Russian government. This is the path of betraying Georgia. This path will destroy our country’s sovereignty. Our country’s sovereignty rests upon Georgia’s security guarantees from Europe and the West. Georgia’s sovereignty will be destroyed by that offer of neutrality which serves Putin’s regime and will place Georgia in the orbit of Putin’s Russia and dictators,” Datunashvili noted.

According to Datunashvili, Georgia’s sovereignty is based on European and Western security guarantees.

“Georgian Dream is not hiding at any stage that their ultimate objective is bringing Georgia into Russia’s sphere of influence. They recognise this sphere of influence and position themselves alongside Putin. There is no other explanation for why, at this so-called peace forum, the prime minister of a country with occupied territories participates together with the president of the occupying country. Probably one step remains: for a meeting between the Georgian and Russian governments to take place publicly, and some alliance to be declared between Georgia and Russia. We can already see that they have begun actively discussing this in the propaganda channels.

We must defend our country, we must end the rule of these traitors, end the usurpation of power, and return this country to the path of democratic development. Our country’s goal is European integration, not the establishment of an autocratic regime. Putin is the murderer of Georgian citizens and the principal enemy of our statehood. Sitting in the same room with him is treason against the homeland.

Here I present to you the list of the Georgian Prime Minister’s visits: three visits to Turkmenistan, three visits to Hungary, two visits to Azerbaijan, two visits to the United Arab Emirates, two visits to Armenia, one to Kazakhstan, one to Uzbekistan, one to Türkiye, one to Albania, one to China; this is the world Georgia is becoming part of,” Datunashvili stated.

For context, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is participating in an international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat. Among other leaders, the forum is being attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.