On 15 June, Georgia’s former Prime Minister and leader of the newly established “For Georgia” party (Caucasus Watch reported) Giorgi Gakharia went to Brussels along with a member of the Political Council Kakhaber Kemoklidze, to hold high-level working meetings with Western partners, reported georgiatoday. 

Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and political plans of ‘For Georgia,’ along with the country’s upcoming local self-government elections, were discussed during the meetings with members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Office of the President of the European Council, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

At the beginning of his visit, Gakharia met with the EU parliamentarian Marina Kaljurand where he shared the goals of his political party. “Always good to hear first hand from different parties about the political situation and aspirations in Georgia. Thank you, Giorgi Gakharia, for today’s meeting,” Kaljurand tweeted after the meeting. Besides Kaljurand, Gakharia’s team also met Michael Gahler, Andrius Kubilius, Sven Mikser and Rasa Juknevičienė from the EU parliamentarians.

Afterwards, Gakharia met with the Managing Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and the OSCE of the EEAS, Michael Siebert. At the meeting, challenges facing Georgia internally and externally, as well as the country’s prospects for EU integration and its practical instruments were discussed.

A meeting was also held with the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. The main topic of the meeting was the transition to the stage of practical implementation of the issues identified and agreed upon during the time when Gakharia served as Georgia’s Prime Minister. These include specific plans for physical communication and transport links with the EU, strengthening of economic cooperation mechanisms and their practical implementation. In this context, the parties noted the progress made so far and the concrete steps that need to be taken in the future. Giorgi Gakharia spoke in detail about the whole chain of reforms already developed by the party “For Georgia” and the agenda of these reforms, which is critical for the gradual institutional integration into the European Union.

Gakharia also met with the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai. Issues related to Georgia’s NATO membership process, as well as challenges related to Georgia’s national and regional security, were discussed at the meeting.

On 7 June, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that Gakharia “betrayed the ruling party and the Georgian state” when he resigned in February 2021. Three days earlier, the Georgian Dream accused Gakharia and the United National Movement of planning an alleged coup in February. The GD leader Irakli Kobakhidze stated that Gakharia had been requesting to postpone the detention of UNM leader Nikanor Melia for a couple of days after the court ruling for “groundless reasons” and that in the meantime the UNM had intended to mobilise its supporters to form an “alternative government” in the country (Caucasus watch reported).