Georgian PM: campaign against Eagle Hills project coordinated by the same forces behind revolutionary processes

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday accused a coordinated network of opposition forces of orchestrating a campaign against the Eagle Hills project, emphasising that the investment would proceed despite attempts to portray it negatively.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze claimed that the same entities responsible for past revolutionary movements in Georgia were behind the campaign against the Eagle Hills project.

“This campaign was coordinated by a single hand. The exact same hand that previously managed revolutionary processes is behind these efforts. At first, they brought [the opposition] Lelo [party] onto the scene, had them start a campaign against this unprecedented and flawless investment, then gradually sidelined Lelo and handed the campaign over to Alt-Info [the domestic far-right movement], the Patriots Alliance, and the youth wing of the National Movement - these dark forces. Here, too, you can see simple coordination”, he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the project faced no substantial opposition and would bring significant economic benefits to the country.

“They will not be able to prevent the project’s implementation. Their sole aim was to portray this truly unprecedented project - which can make a special contribution to our country’s economic development - in a negative light. To some extent, they succeeded. The entire campaign was aimed at this and was externally funded and supported. However, they will not achieve their goal. The project will be implemented, our economy will be enriched by 11 billion GEL, and the enrichment of the Georgian economy means this benefit will spread widely across society. You can judge for yourselves what an addition of 11 billion GEL means for a 100-billion GEL economy from just one project”, he noted.

Kobakhidze further noted that everyone understood that no Arabisation was taking place.

“The campaign has already failed. Everyone understands that no Arabisation is taking place. We have demonstrated full transparency in discussions on this topic. The issue was also discussed in Parliament. Even the radical opposition could not raise any substantive questions about this matter”, he said.

“You can check the records - practically, there are no real questions regarding this project. Therefore, the project will be implemented. Our economy will gain 11 billion GEL, our annual budget will increase by an average of 700 million GEL, and all of this will serve the wider public. A fuller budget means more social projects and more infrastructure projects”, the PM concluded.