Kobakhidze says territorial integrity of Georgia can be restored ‘with patience’

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity is achievable through consistent policy and patience. His remarks were quickly met with a critical response from the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry.

Speaking to the pro-government TV channel Imedi on Sunday, Kobakhidze emphasised that a politician should aim to leave a lasting impact on their country’s development. In this context, he addressed the issue of territorial integrity.

‘Developments are dynamic, and it’s not yet clear how the processes will unfold, but I believe that any goal can be achieved through consistent policy and patience — including what remains our greatest dream: the restoration of [Georgia’s] territorial integrity’, he said.

Kobakhidze added that ‘this is realistic, if we show patience and continue to follow our policy consistently’.

‘The resolution of this issue will depend on various factors, but with the right approach and patience, everything is possible’, he concluded.

The South Ossetian Foreign Ministry responded the next day, stating that ‘the ideas and theses voiced by [Tbilisi] regarding the possibility of resolving relations are unacceptable’.

The statement affirmed that ‘South Ossetia is committed to building an independent state and does not intend to change its direction of development’, referring to Russia as a ‘guarantor of security’ and expressing a desire to deepen ties with Moscow.

Kobakhidze’s remarks were also responded to by Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry, which stated that ‘the Republic of Abkhazia is an independent state’ and that ‘further coexistence with Georgia is possible on the basis of good neighborliness and mutual respect’.

‘Instead of declarations about restoring territorial integrity, we would prefer to see a willingness for constructive dialogue and the search for compromises that could lead to peaceful and mutually beneficial relations’, the statement read.

In the run-up to the 2024 parliamentary elections, the ruling Georgian Dream party has repeatedly used the issue of territorial integrity — referring to Abkhazia and South Ossetia — as one of the central issues in its campaign rhetoric.

When discussing South Ossetia, Georgian Dream has frequently blamed the ex-ruling United National Movement (UNM) party for losing control over the region and even vowed to ‘apologise’ to Ossetians for the actions of the former government during the August 2008 War.

After the elections, the apology narrative faded from the political agenda. Nevertheless, the ruling party recently established a parliamentary commission aimed at punishing the former ruling party. The commission’s work is partly focused on accusing UNM of provoking and starting the 2008 war.

Georgian Dream’s rhetoric has repeatedly drawn criticism from domestic opponents, as well as the families of soldiers who perished in the war.

Among the vague and controversial pre-election statements was a promise by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili to amend the constitution ‘to align Georgia’s governance and territorial structure with the new reality […] in a peaceful way’.

The ruling party did not provide any details, but the statement quickly sparked speculation that it implied a confederation model with Abkhazia and South Ossetia — potentially through recognising their independence as a precursor. Georgian Dream later denied this interpretation.

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.