‘Patience’, ‘consistency’ key to restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity, PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday reiterated his party’s position that the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity remained possible through “patience” and “consistent policy.”

Speaking in an interview with Imedi TV, Kobakhidze stressed that although regional developments remained unpredictable, Georgia “must stay committed to its strategic goals.”

“Events are developing dynamically and it is not yet known where the processes will go,” said Kobakhidze. “But I think that any goal can be achieved under conditions of consistent policy and patience, including what is our main dream – restoring territorial integrity.”

He added that the resolution of the issue would depend on multiple factors, but maintained that with the right approach, “everything is possible.”

The issue of territorial integrity has been a central theme in Georgian Dream’s political messaging, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 parliamentary elections. The party’s honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, previously stated that developments could create conditions for addressing the territorial integrity question, which could require constitutional amendments.

Ivanishvili has also pledged that if Georgian Dream secured a constitutional majority in the last year’s parliamentary vote, the party would push for a constitutional model aimed at ensuring Georgia’s territorial unity.

In addition, Ivanishvili emphasized the importance of reconciliation, saying that Georgia “should express remorse” to the Ossetian people for the events of 2008.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently expressed Moscow’s willingness to support the “normalization of relations between Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia” – if all sides were willing. However, he made it clear that Russia would not reconsider its recognition of the two regions’ independence, a position firmly rejected by Tbilisi, which considers both territories as occupied regions of Georgia.