PM Kobakhidze warns of potential EU pressure on Georgia following call for same-sex marriage in Ukraine

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has responded to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s recent comments urging Ukraine to legalize same-sex marriage as part of its EU integration process. Speaking to journalists in the Racha region, Kobakhidze said the statement highlights the potential scale of future risks and external demands Georgia itself may face.

“This reminds us just how far-reaching the demands could be in the future,” Kobakhidze said. “It reinforces the need for preventive measures to protect our national values and interests.”

According to the Prime Minister, one such preventive step was the recent adoption of Georgia’s controversial bill “On the Protection of Family Values and Minors,” which critics have widely described as a law restricting LGBT rights and expression.

“We have long discussed the serious threats related to this topic,” Kobakhidze stated. “There is active propaganda worldwide — in Europe, in the Americas — which is already causing real problems, threatening individual identity and impacting global statistics. We must defend our national interests.”

He emphasized that Sweden’s position on Ukraine only underscores why Georgia must act now to shield itself from similar pressures in the future.

“We will firmly uphold the law on the protection of family values and minors,” the Prime Minister concluded.