Ruling party MP praises Bidzina Ivanishvili's role in Georgia's development

Dimitri Samkharadze, a member of Georgia's parliamentary majority, has praised former Prime Minister and ruling party flounder Bidzina Ivanishvili for what he described as his contribution to the country's development, philanthropy and political transformation.

In a social media post commenting on a report broadcast by Imedi TV's weekly programme Imedis Kvira, Samkharadze said the segment highlighted only a small part of the charitable and public activities undertaken by Ivanishvili and his family.

"Who knows how many more good deeds Mr Ivanishvili and his family have carried out that have never been made public and that we may never learn about," he wrote.

Samkharadze said the report demonstrated what he described as Ivanishvili's commitment to protecting Georgia and serving the country's interests. He argued that attempts by critics to diminish or ignore his role had been unsuccessful.

The ruling party lawmaker also described Ivanishvili's decision to enter politics as one of the most significant contributions he had made to Georgia, claiming it had helped bring an end to what he called the National Movement regime.

Samkharadze accused opponents of the government of seeking to undermine the country's traditions and values, while arguing that Ivanishvili had played a decisive role in safeguarding Georgia's sovereignty and stability.

Concluding his remarks, he said Georgia would remain strong under the leadership of Ivanishvili's political team and rejected suggestions that the country would follow what he described as external political pressures.