President Kavelashvili addresses UN General Assembly, highlights Georgia’s role as regional hub and advocate for peace

President of Georgia Mikheil Kavelashvili on Thursday delivered an address at the opening of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he underscored Georgia’s historic resilience, commitment to peace, and emerging role as a vital connector between Europe and Asia.

Representing what he described as a nation with a “three-thousand-year history” and a unique cultural and linguistic identity, Kavelashvili highlighted Georgia’s traditions of tolerance, coexistence, and openness. He stressed that Georgians, who “know both the cost of war and the value of peace,” remain determined to preserve stability and safeguard their people from conflict.

Reflecting on Georgia’s own 2008 war and its ongoing occupation, Kavelashvili reiterated the Government’s unwavering support for Ukraine amid Russia’s continued aggression, and welcomed US President Donald Trump’s recent peace initiative between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He said Georgia aims to transform the South Caucasus “from a zone of conflicts into a space of dialogue and prosperity.”

The President emphasised Georgia’s strategic role in the development of the Middle Corridor - a trade route linking Europe and China via the South Caucasus and Central Asia - describing it as the most reliable and secure route linking Europe and Asia. He pointed to major infrastructure projects, including the modernisation of Georgia’s railway, the Anaklia deep sea port, a new international airport in the capital city of Tbilisi, and Black Sea energy initiatives, as proof of the country’s commitment to strengthening connectivity and energy security in the wider region.

Kavelashvili also spoke directly to Abkhaz and Ossetian communities across the occupation line, calling them “brothers and sisters” and urging reconciliation: “For us, diversity is not a problem; it remains an essential formula for our existence. We will always meet our compatriots with open hearts and outstretched hands”.

In his concluding remarks, the President reaffirmed Georgia’s alignment with the core values of the United Nations and called for the organisation to serve as a guarantor of a peaceful, fair, multipolar world order.

“Georgia, as a responsible member of the international community, is ready to engage in dialogue with all parties to overcome global challenges and unlock new opportunities,” he stated.