Georgian PM: We are a Christian nation and we belong in Europe

Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, marking a pivotal moment as the country’s first under a fully proportional system.

The stakes are high, and the outcome could potentially shape the nation’s future integration within the EU and its movement away from Russian influence.

As the election date approaches, the political landscape in Georgia has become increasingly polarized, with opinion polls continuing to present unreliable and contradictory forecasts.

While the ruling Georgian Dream party is framing the vote as a choice between ‘peace and war’, opposition parties see the election as a battle between the democratic West and authoritarian Russia.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze sat down with Euronews for an in-depth interview about the importance of the elections, given the backdrop of European Union accession talks and questions over Russian influences.

Euronews: As a Georgian, what does Europe mean to you, and what would it mean to be part of that club that is seen as the European Union?

Irakli Kobakhidze: To be part of the European family is a kind of historic choice for Georgia and Georgians.

You know that we are a Christian nation, and Europe was always associated with Christianity. It was defending it, protecting Christianity for Georgia.

So that’s why Europe was always a kind of natural choice for Georgia and for Georgians.

And that is one of the, or the strongest reason, why we want to be a fully-fledged member of the European family.

(Being in) Europe also means a higher level of prosperity, which means development for Georgians.

So that’s why we are very much committed to this foreign policy priority of Georgia.

Euronews: Again, this week, we’ve seen elections in other countries, and in particular Moldova. There was a lot of controversy about Russia’s involvement in the political process there. Will we see anything like that come to Georgia?

Kobakhidze: I can say that Russia is not influential in Georgia.

There are no political parties where they would enjoy their influence. There is no influence from media channels with their influence.

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So that’s why the Russian side cannot influence the elections in Georgia, essentially.

Watch the entire exclusive interview with Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze on all Euronews digital platforms on Friday.