PM Kobakhidze: Foreign assets were strong during the Namakhvani HPP debate; today, state authority is consolidated, and the foreign network has weakened

“When the Namakhvani project was under consideration, foreign proxy networks were considerably stronger, and the state was far weaker. Today, those networks have been fundamentally weakened, while state authority and the government have been decisively consolidated. Consequently, whereas such destabilisation campaigns achieved partial success in the past, they no longer possess the capacity or resources to succeed today or in the future,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.

The head of government asserted that non-governmental organisations funded by specific external entities had orchestrated the opposition campaign surrounding the Namakhvani Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP).

“In hostile fashion, such campaigns are waged against almost every strategic investment. We hold ambitious state objectives regarding the development of hydroelectric plants and overall energy infrastructure. Current generation capacity stands at 4,800 MW, with a 10-year strategy to scale total output to 11,500 MW through the construction of multiple HPPs, wind developments, and solar arrays.

I am convinced that similar disruptive attempts will target every single project. When the Namakhvani project was debated, foreign proxy networks were far stronger, and the state was significantly weaker. Today, those networks are fundamentally crippled, and state power is firmly consolidated. Therefore, while such campaigns enjoyed relative success in the past, they lack any operational capability to succeed today or tomorrow.

An entire campaign was mounted against Namakhvani, driven by various foreign-funded NGOs, including GYLA and the Social Justice Centre (EMC). It was a fully coordinated operation. While ordinary citizens, many acting in good faith, were drawn into these protests, the overarching campaign was systematically stage-managed. Funded by foreign grants, foreign proxy networks were directly at the helm.

On one side stood foreign agent networks, which were stronger back then, while on the other was a government that was relatively weak for objective reasons. Today, the landscape is radically transformed. We have enacted transparency legislation that has effectively neutralised foreign proxy networks and strengthened the state. Under these new conditions, we can state unequivocally that no one will ever again sabotage critical investment projects in our country,” Kobakhidze declared.