“If we say that Georgia’s function is transit and that it is a gateway between China and Europe, then establishing communication with Central Asian countries is not bad. However, there was no need for the Prime Minister himself to attend the forum; a delegation could have been sent,” Giorgi Melashvili, head of the European-Georgian Institute, commented on Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s participation in the forum held in Turkmenistan during an appearance on PalitraNews’ program Day’s Newsroom.

He noted that “a balance should exist in relations with the West and the East, but Georgian Dream has completely disconnected from the West, causing the country to tilt toward the East.”

“To summarize, this year we can call ‘from Trump to Trump.’ When 2025 began, Georgian Dream promised that relations with the U.S. would improve from January 25 and that a partnership would be restored. One year later, it is clear that Georgian-American and Georgian-European relations are at a historic low. Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s visit to Ashgabat should be viewed in this context. If we say that Georgia has a transit function and is a gateway between China and Europe, then establishing communication with Central Asian countries is not bad, but this visit has two problems: first, there was no necessity for the Prime Minister to personally attend the forum; sending a delegation would have sufficed. Second, while Georgia is being isolated and its delegations are not participating in projects initiated by the West, at the same time Georgian delegations are attending forums with Putin and Central Asian dictators. A balance should exist between relations with the West and the East, but Georgian Dream has completely disconnected from the West, causing a tilt toward the East.

“It would have been possible to send the Foreign Minister to the forum so that there would be no need for Georgia’s top official to pose for a photo with the representative of an occupying, murderous, criminal state,” Melashvili added.

He also described Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s statements at the forum as “utterly meaningless.”

“There is nothing substantive in the statement made by Kobakhidze. This may be a signal to Russia—‘whatever you do, we want peace!’ In a geopolitical situation where Russia seeks to restore a new Soviet Union, such messages could instead whet the aggressor state’s appetite. Georgian Dream, in this case, is left only with demagogic tricks because Kobakhidze’s messages said nothing. This forum was not existential or decisive for Georgia’s fate. I do not believe that Georgia’s fate is determined in Ashgabat, Brussels, or Washington. I believe Georgia’s fate is primarily determined in Tbilisi—according to the will of the Georgian people. If anyone needs a reminder, the last time Georgia’s fate was decided in Central Asia was during Tamerlane’s era. We must not allow our fate to be decided elsewhere,” Melashvili said.

Additionally, he spoke about relations with the new U.S. administration and commented on philosopher Zaza Shatirishvili’s statement, which discusses Trump and his administration’s so-called “fake fight against the Deep State.” According to Melashvili, this statement reflects dissatisfaction with U.S. policy among Georgian Dream and its affiliates.

“This statement shows that Georgian Dream and its affiliates are dissatisfied with Trump’s policy. Shatirishvili’s statement is a work of fantasy, conspiratorial nonsense, which cannot be taken seriously. Its narrative and language remind me of reading Dugin or writer Lukianov. Georgian Dream has no real resemblance to American conservatism. In fact, there is a fundamental difference between Georgian Dream and Trump’s administration. U.S. Vice President Jay D. Vance, in his speech, spoke about freedom of speech and the need for parties to compete fairly, while Georgian Dream passes draconian laws restricting freedom of speech and expression. They even presented an incomprehensible case to the Constitutional Court regarding the dissolution of parties. None of these steps will be perceived positively in the U.S. Georgian Dream is a political party that can easily change ideology; initially, they were members of the social-democrats in the EU, but left before being expelled. Now they have assumed a pseudo-conservative role, attempting to mislead the population,” Melashvili said.