Georgian Dream promises ‘pragmatic policy’ with Russia in election programme

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has presented Georgian Dream’s election programme, vowing to adopt a ‘pragmatic policy’ towards Russia and to create 200,000 jobs and increase average salaries by 2028.

Kobakhidze presented his party’s four-year plan on Monday evening, less than three weeks ahead of 26 October’s parliamentary elections.

In an hour-long speech, he said the programme included ‘about 20% of the activities that will be implemented in the next four years’ and ‘due to the lack of time’ he had to ‘focus only on the main issues’.

He emphasised the ruling party’s plans to ‘maintain peace’ in Georgia, which Kobakhidze said was one of the primary things Georgian Dream needed to secure before achieving their goals.

Kobakhidze also sang the party’s praises, comparing stats from when they came to power to current data. He also criticised and mocked Georgia’s opposition groups several times during the speech.

According to the programme laid out by Kobakhidze, by 2028, the ruling party seeks to reduce the unemployment rate to 4%, increase the average monthly salary to ₾3,500 ($1,300), and create 200,000 jobs. He added that the economic growth brought about by their programme would allow them to increase the standard monthly state pension by 2025, from ₾315 ($116) and ₾415 ($153) to ₾350 ($129) and ₾450 ($165).

He also said that the party planned to develop infrastructure, and the education, culture, sports, health, and defence sectors.

Kobakhidze also said that his party expected the controversial Anaklia deep-sea port project to begin receiving and docking ships in 2029.

Georgian Dream’s foreign policy

During his speech, Kobakhidze also pledged to restore Georgia’s deteriorating relations with the US and EU, while adopting a ‘pragmatic policy’ towards Russia.

He echoed statements made by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying that by 2030, Georgia would be the most prepared to become an EU member among other candidates — this in spite Georgia’s accession to the bloc being de facto ‘on halt’ as a result of Georgian Dream’s anti-Western rhetoric and undemocratic actions.

Kobakhidze suggested that the conclusion of the war in Ukraine would allow Georgia to restart relations with the EU and the US, despite Washington having imposed financial sanctions on at least four Georgian nationals and travel bans on ‘dozens’ of others for their role in quashing protests against the foreign agent law.

He said that Georgian Dream intended to deepen its cooperation with NATO and its strategic partnership with China, which, he said, was of great political and economic importance for Georgia.

Kobakhidze then touched on Tbilisi’s handling of the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts, stating that its ‘policy of non-recognition was very successful all these years’.

‘As you know, by 2012, four states had recognised Abkhazia and so-called South Ossetia’s so-called independence, and these four states remained four’, he said. ‘A pragmatic policy and peaceful settlement of the conflict with Russia is also one of the main priorities.’

At the end of his speech, Kobakhidze said that Georgia had two national tasks before it: the ‘restoration of territorial integrity’ and the ‘elimination of poverty’.

Ivanishvili, who was present at most major political events held by the ruling party, was not in attendance for Kobakhidze’s speech.

Georgian Dream was expected to present its electoral programme earlier this month, but had to postpone the announcement, purportedly because Kobakhidze contracted COVID-19.

In August, they called on voters to help them secure a constitutional majority to make constitutional amendments that would help them ‘peacefully reintegrate’ Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

They also vowed to use a constitutional majority to ban major pro-Western opposition parties and ‘pseudo-liberal ideology’. 

For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.

Read in Armenian on CivilNet.