Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze praised the Georgian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Ilia II for consistently defending national interests while pledging strict opposition to foreign-funded efforts to undermine state sovereignty and impose “false values.”

Speaking during his annual parliamentary address, Kobakhidze expressed gratitude to the church for its historical role in protecting Georgian interests.

“I want to express gratitude to our Mother Church, the Orthodox Church, which throughout all this time, over the years and centuries, stands guard over our country’s national interests. Great thanks to our Mother Church and to His Holiness and Beatitude, Ilia II, for this,” he said.

The Prime Minister warned against what he characterised as ongoing foreign interference in Georgian affairs.

“We will not allow arbitrariness against the state, we will oppose any attempt to belittle state institutions, our Mother Church. We will very strictly oppose absolutely all attempts to violate state sovereignty, to confuse the state’s identity, and to impose false values,” Kobakhidze declared.

The Prime Minister said such interference “has been happening through external financing hidden from society for years” and promised continued resistance to foreign influence. Drawing on Georgia’s history, Kobakhidze emphasised the government’s responsibility to preserve sovereignty.

“Our country counts 3,000 years and our statehood, starting from Parnavaz, counts 23 centuries,” he said, referencing the legendary first Georgian king.

“We have very specific responsibility before our heroes, including heroes of the 90s and the 2008 August Russia-Georgia war, before our ancestors, before our country and society, to firmly protect our country and national interests,” he added.