On January 18, Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairperson of the Georgian Dream party, spoke at Imedi Live about the difficulties Georgia is currently facing. 

Kobakhidze mentioned Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia, who is currently imprisoned. He said that Saakashvili could not face his detention with dignity and is now doing everything to get out of prison. Kobakhidze claimed that the demand for Mikheil Saakashvili's release is unnecessary and completely political. He said that these lies promote self-harm, and if they were not encouraged, it would be better for Saakashvili himself, accusing Saakashvili's lobbyists of giving him false hopes.

In response to the Russian FM's praise of the Georgian government, Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the ruling party places more importance on defending Georgia's national interests than on how it is seen by the North, West, South, or East. Regarding Lavrov's remarks on the likely resumption of direct flights with Georgia, the head of Georgian Dream claimed that Russia's unilateral suspension of direct flights in 2019 harmed many Georgian civilians. According to Kobakhidze, the reinstatement of flights is crucial for Georgian inhabitants and would thus be a positive step.

Irakli Kobakhidze expressed optimism that Georgia will receive EU candidate status this year, stating that a specific political climate will assist Georgia in this respect. "Georgia is far ahead of Moldova and Ukraine," Kobakhidze emphasized. "In the situations of Ukraine and Moldova, others filled out the questionnaire; I will not identify who it was. Georgia was the only nation that filled out the questionnaire by itself," the chairperson of the Georgian Dream party emphasized.

The politician stressed the importance of the "radical opposition's" decline for the stability of domestic politics, stating that this is the only way to diminish extremism and maintain national harmony. He brought up the United National Movement's (UNM) ongoing procedures in this context, claiming they are now inciting radicalism inside their organization. "This is a significant accomplishment, and the demise of the radical opposition will benefit the advancement of the democratic system and the [non-radical] opposition. The outcome of the next UNM leadership election," Kobakhidze said.

Irakli Kobakhidze also touched upon the war in Ukraine. "We will have to tread very cautiously in 2023," he said, emphasizing that despite the remaining risks, the country was able to keep calm due to the prudence of Georgian society and a realistic evaluation of the situation. In this context, the politician once more mentioned attempts by some forces, or what he termed the global war party, to launch a second front in Georgia. Kobakhidze cited CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour, who asked EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen about Georgia's potential violation of sanctions against Russia, as yet another illustration of the aforementioned tactics.

Read also: 

Irakli Kobakhidze Addresses Zelenskyy's Statement on Saakashvili; Ukraine Responds

Irakli Kobakhidze on Georgian Opposition and Bidzina Ivanishvili

Irakli Kobakhidze on David Lee's remarks, MEPs' Address on Saakashvili and IRI Survey