“Today, the state possesses sufficient resources and power to take a definitive, principled stand on these matters, for instance, when it comes to cryptocurrency mining, where approximately 20 million GEL worth of electricity was being stolen through mining operations,” the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, told journalists.

According to the Prime Minister, the state was previously too weak to withstand sabotage, but it is now capable of doing so.

“Our first active discussion on this matter took place about a year and two or three months ago. Certain directives were issued even back then. It could not be achieved at the time, but today we are robust enough to push through any such initiative. For me personally, a year and two or three months ago, the reason for this delay was not that this crypto-mining operation enjoyed the backing of some protector; that was not the reason. We have implemented numerous personnel changes, including within our law enforcement agencies, and we have completely overhauled our approaches and attitudes. Consequently, the state is strong today.

Previously, anyone who felt like it attempted to sabotage this country. There was a specific case where locals were turned against an investor, and we know exactly who instigated those residents with the sole objective of forcing their way into a share of the business. There were also cases where companies involved in the electricity sector pursued their own vested interests. It used to be very easy in Georgia to suddenly mobilise 50 people, making it straightforward to derail these types of projects. It is no longer that easy.

We will build the hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), crypto-mining will be eradicated, and across every single front, be it corruption, sabotage, or anything else, the state today is powerful enough to confront corruption, sabotage, any lobbyist, and so forth. A year and two or three months ago, this was not the case. Today, the state has the power and the luxury to be entirely uncompromising, without allowing any side-effects to harm its interests.

The state now has sufficient resources and strength to hold a firm, principled line on these issues, such as crypto-mining, where around 20 million GEL in electricity was being stolen through illegal operations. The state was not strong enough against sabotage in the past, but today it is. For me, neither eighteen months ago nor today does anyone’s ‘protection’ carry any weight whatsoever. Backing from a protector will never be a reason for me to back down from taking these steps.

We could have peacefully focused on developing the country and strengthening our nation; instead, we had to do so while simultaneously fighting off five attempted revolutions over the past four years. There was a barrage of challenges, blackmail, sabotage, and corruption was an echo of all that,” the Prime Minister noted.