PM Kobakhidze: Georgia today is more independent and sovereign than ever

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the country was “more independent and sovereign than ever,” which allows the state to apply the law with “maximum strictness against all forms of crime”.

Speaking to journalists, Kobakhidze stressed that ongoing criminal cases were initiated by law enforcement agencies and “are entirely a matter of law, not of the Government.”

“Our Government is taking active measures to eliminate corruption in Georgia. This involves the work of the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Security Service, and other law enforcement bodies. Efforts to combat crime have intensified across all major areas - corruption, drug-related offenses, organised crime, and politically motivated crimes,” the PM said.

Kobakhidze also addressed the broader challenges facing the country, noting that some had been “artificially created from the outside”.

“When you have complex political processes at home and abroad, when there is a war ongoing in the region, and when there is pressure on the Government to join military actions, under such conditions some issues may not receive proper attention for objective reasons. Today, however, our state is independent and sovereign as never before, which enables us to enforce the law with the utmost rigor against any type of crime,” he added.