Kobakhidze Attends European Political Community Summit in Yerevan
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze attended the eighth European Political Community summit in Yerevan on May 4, where he took part in a roundtable discussion and held meetings with several leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The summit brought together dozens of European and partner country leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, Maia Sandu, Giorgia Meloni, Donald Tusk, Keir Starmer, Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa, and Mark Rutte, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attending as a guest.
Kobakhidze arrived in Yerevan on May 3 with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and Government Administration Head Levan Zhorzholiani. The summit was held under the theme Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe, focusing on cooperation, connectivity, and security.
At the start of the summit, Kobakhidze said he would emphasize Georgia's role in regional connectivity. "We connect seven countries to the Black Sea and therefore to the West in economic and trade terms," he said.
He was seen briefly exchanging with Macron and shaking hands with Zelenskyy during the event. The Georgian government later reported a meeting between Kobakhidze and Zelenskyy, attended by their foreign ministers, describing it as focused on bilateral relations and held at the Ukrainian side's initiative.
Kobakhidze also met with Alain Berset. According to the government, the sides discussed cooperation with the Council of Europe, with Kobakhidze reaffirming readiness for "dialogue and constructive engagement." The Georgian side also raised concerns about what it called the "politicization" of international mechanisms.
As part of the summit, Kobakhidze participated in a roundtable on Strengthening Connectivity and Economic Security, where he highlighted infrastructure projects including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Anaklia Deep Sea Port, as well as the importance of diversifying transport and energy routes, including the Southern Gas Corridor and Black Sea submarine cable project.
The session was co-chaired by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, with participation from several European leaders.
