PM Irakli Kobakhidze Meets with Azerbaijani President Amid Diplomatic Disputes with EU Delegation
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
On November 11, 2024, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference in Baku. The two leaders discussed key issues, emphasizing energy security and cooperation within the Middle Corridor initiative.
Kobakhidze underscored the importance of deepening energy partnerships between the two nations, noting that Georgia and Azerbaijan are "connected by very important strategic projects." They also highlighted the need for regional security and stability, with both leaders affirming their commitment to these goals. Additionally, Kobakhidze emphasized Georgia's constitutional commitment to environmental protection and expressed interest in sharing Georgia's experience in ecological governance.
While Kobakhidze engaged in talks in Baku, senior members of parliament from eight EU countries visited Georgia to observe the post-election landscape. Kobakhidze, however, criticized these European MPs, stating that the government avoided meeting them due to "direct involvement in the election campaign" by certain delegation members, which he argued undermines "the attitude a European politician should have towards a sovereign country."
The Prime Minister also addressed two controversial laws-the anti-LGBT law and the foreign agent law-asserting that similar legislation is expected to be passed in the U.S., and affirmed Georgia's readiness to discuss the foreign agent law with international partners.
Addressing the current post-election atmosphere, Kobakhidze dismissed opposition claims of election irregularities and downplayed their impact. He pointed to the 2020 April 19 agreement, which was reached after similar opposition attempts to challenge election outcomes, saying that the opposition lacks the influence to force the government into negotiations this time. He warned that if opposition actions escalate, the government might consider filing a constitutional lawsuit to challenge their legitimacy, though he expressed doubt that such measures would be necessary.
The Prime Minister also announced that the Prosecutor's Office has initiated investigations following allegations of election violations. However, he accused opposition politicians of avoiding participation in the investigation, suggesting that they "have no arguments." He contrasted Georgia's response to election issues with other countries, including the U.S. and Moldova, arguing that in these countries, similar electoral complaints have gone unaddressed.
