Russia has denied that its restrictions on Georgian beverage imports are politically motivated, while Georgia’s appointment of a new special representative for relations with Moscow has raised concerns about a possible shift in bilateral relations. On 22 October, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova the restrictions “targeted” and said, “there is no political subtext”. Zakharova maintained that responsibility for checking products lay with Russia’s consumer protection watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, which had identified violations at several enterprises. According to Zakharova, dozens of Georgian companies continued to sell their products in Russia, which she described as a priority market for Georgia. The restrictions, introduced in October, affect products from seven Georgian companies, including wine producers Teliani Valley, Tbilvino and Askaneli Brothers, as well as Nabeglavi mineral water. The measures have revived discussions in Georgia over Moscow’s use of trade restrictions, given Russia’s previous bans on Georgian wine and mineral water. From January to August 2026, Georgia exported wine worth $102.2 million to Russia, out of approximately $163.6 million in total wine exports. Russia therefore accounted for around 62.5% of Georgian wine export value during the period.

The latest development in Tbilisi-Moscow relations came on 21 October, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze First Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Zurabashvili as his special representative for relations with Russia. Zurabashvili will retain his position as first deputy foreign minister, which he has held since July 2025. The post was established in 2012 as part of the informal Abashidze-Karasin dialogue channel, named after Georgian representative Zurab Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. It was later held by Giorgi Kajaia, who left the position in December 2025. The channel was intended to address trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian issues while diplomatic relations remained severed following the 2008 war and Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

According to Kobakhidze, the alongside the Geneva International Discussions and Georgia’s Interests Section at the Swiss embassy in Moscow. The prime minister identified Georgia’s priorities as the “peaceful resolution of the conflict with the Russian Federation, the preservation and development of existing trade and economic relations, and the maintenance of a permanent dialogue on humanitarian issues”. Kobakhidze emphasized that, “in the absence of diplomatic relations between Georgia and the Russian Federation, the post of the Prime Minister’s Special Representative, together with the Geneva format, is of key importance in carrying out these tasks.” Kobakhidze insisted that the appointment did not signal a change in the government’s position on Russia or a move towards restoring diplomatic relations. “Restoring diplomatic relations has its own barrier. This reality has not changed, and accordingly neither has our attitude,” he said. Kobakhidze also denied that the appointment was prompted by the beverage restrictions. Asked why the post needed to be filled, he stated that the government saw a general need for an additional representative because “active work is needed in all three areas”. As explained, these were conflict resolution, economic relations and humanitarian issues, adding: “In all directions, we saw the need for one more important channel, and that is why we made this decision.”

The appointment from the Diplomatic Society of Georgia, a group of former and serving diplomats critical of the Georgian Dream government. In a statement on 22 October, the society described the perceived expansion of the envoy’s role as a “dangerous trend”. It said the position had previously been held by people who were not serving Foreign Ministry diplomats and that its work had been limited to economic, cultural and humanitarian matters, with meetings conducted informally. Appointing a serving first deputy foreign minister, it warned, “may be regarded as a form of restoring diplomatic relations, or as laying the groundwork for it”. Diplomatic Society of Georgia further stressed that this ran counter to Georgia’s stated position of maintaining no diplomatic relations with Russia. They also argued that adding peaceful conflict resolution to the envoy’s remit “amounts to creating a direct alternative” to the Geneva International Discussions, and Georgia should keep the conflict on the international agenda to ensure that the country is “not left alone face to face with Russia” in negotiations.

The appointment also from the de facto authorities in Tskhinvali. On 23 October, the region’s self-styled “Foreign Ministry” criticised Kobakhidze’s statement that Georgia would not recognise Abkhazia or South Ossetia as independent states or sign agreements with them. The statement accused Tbilisi of disrespecting the residents of the two regions and their political choice, criticised the use of the terms “so-called Republic of South Ossetia” and “so-called Republic of Abkhazia”, and called for dialogue on an “equal and respectful basis” within existing negotiation formats.

Opposition figures the timing of Zurabashvili’s appointment, which coincided with the start of Constitutional Court hearings on the ruling party’s lawsuit seeking to ban five opposition parties. Grigol Gegelia, a leader of the Strong Georgia-Lelo coalition, assessed the appointment as “a direct, cynical signal that the parties are being banned at Russia’s behest,” while a representative was appointed to pursue warmer relations with Moscow. United National Movement representative Lasha Parulava similarly claimed that the government was dismantling the pro-Western opposition while appointing a new envoy to Russia. Former president Mikheil Saakashvili wrote that preparing to restore diplomatic relations without ending the occupation “amounts to formally endorsing capitulation”. Moscow welcomed the appointment: Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on CIS Affairs, called it “a step in the right direction” and reiterated that relations between the two countries “must develop”.