Georgian PM: resolution’s approach contradicts Council of Europe values, pressure on Georgians has never succeeded

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said that attempts to use blackmail against the Georgian people have been ongoing for a long time, but such tactics have never succeeded.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze further noted that if there was anything incompatible with the traditional values of the Council of Europe, it was the approach reflected in the resolution on Georgia.

“People have been trying to use blackmail against the Georgian people for many years, but the Georgian people are not intimidated by it. They have gained valuable experience since the early 1990s, and therefore such blackmail does not work against them”, he said.

“It is an absolutely difficult situation. If you look at the people who initiated this resolution, you will see that they have nothing in common with the traditional European understanding. Therefore, if anything is non-European, it is this particular composition of the Council of Europe and the documents it has adopted”, the PM continued.

Kobakhidze highlighted that blackmail and threats were of no interest to the Georgian people, adding that such attempts to blackmail the public had been made for a long time, but had never been successful.

“The Georgian people have gained tremendous experience since the early 1990s, and for that reason such blackmail has no power. The Georgian people may have been blackmailed many times, but it has never succeeded because they have learned important lessons from their past experience”, he noted.

The Prime Minister further mentioned that parliamentary elections will be held on October 28, 2028.

“We will have elections on October 28, 2028. Whether the opposition decides to enter parliament is their choice. We will conduct democratic elections, and until then we will govern the country through democratic means. That is what we will do over the next two and a half years”, Kobakhidze concluded.