On 13 November, the first round of dialogue was held between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition factions that passed the 1% mark in the elections on 31 October.

The leaders of all nine political parties met at the residence of the US Ambassador, who also hosted the EU and French Ambassadors to Georgia at the meeting. The parties met behind closed doors; neither participants nor the facilitators have disclosed details of the meeting. 

The meeting followed after the  statement by the GD’s Secretary General, Kakha Kaladze, who called on all political parties who participated in the 2020 parliamentary elections to move the political process to the format of constructive dialogue. The GD said that it remains committed and open to continuing active engagement with the opposition "in order to convince their leaders to move the political process inside Parliament where it should continue in accordance with the truly democratic standards of a parliamentary republic,” adding that  another round of talks is expected in the near future.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated that all political parties in Georgia must understand that the people have given the GD the mandate to take care of the country amid the challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic. “Assessment of the political process is becoming more and more second-rated nowadays. Orders made by our citizens and population are direct… [and require] us to quickly find an efficient solution to the present political situation,” he said. 

Gakharia also emphasised the role of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that the situation is getting worse throughout the world. He noted that work was in progress on Phase Four of the Post-Crisis Plan, which will be specifically aimed at the social assistance of citizens and business support. The plan also states that government authorities need to do everything possible in the post-crisis economy to reach a double-digit indicator of economic growth in Georgia in the nearest future.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties announced that they would hold rallies during the visit of the US State Secretary Mike Pompeo on 17-18 November. The representatives of the opposition parties said that one meeting was not enough to solve the political situation in the country and confirmed that another meeting would be held in the near future. 

The EU parliamentarians Andrius Kubilius, Rasa Jukneviciene and Zygimantas Pavilionis released a statement, saying that they were concerned about the political situation in the country. The statement said that the Georgian government has the responsibility to address “these outstanding problems” and reach out for immediate dialogue with the opposition and find a speedy solution “for this difficult moment for the Georgian democracy.”