It is good that the Prime Minister from Georgia did not go to Iran, but it is a mistake that the President went, - this is how Valeri Chechelashvili, co-founder of “Jeri Sakartvelos” (“It’s Georgia’s Turn”), assessed President Mikheil Kavelashvili’s attendance at the funeral ceremony of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran.

According to Valeri Chechelashvili, the President of Georgia should not have appeared at the funeral ceremony, but if he did, it should have been the subject of appropriate consultations with the Americans.

“After the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited Iran as Prime Minister, but at that time the context was completely different. There was no presidential visit then, and that president died tragically. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, was liquidated as a result of the Americans. Therefore, it was completely understandable that the Iranian side would use this to score diplomatic points. They even stated that whoever attended this mourning ceremony ‘stood on the side of justice and truth,’ which is in itself a very debatable issue. It is good that this time the Prime Minister did not go, but it is bad that the President of Georgia went. There was an opportunity for Mr. Kavelashvili not to attend. The Iranian ambassador to Georgia made very offensive statements. According to our constitution, the Prime Minister is the number one functional figure. It is good that the Prime Minister did not go, but it is a mistake that the President went. I think our government should have used the Iranian ambassador’s inadequate and offensive statements procedurally and protocol-wise and explained to the Iranians that, unfortunately, these statements created such an atmosphere in our society that made the President’s attendance there impossible. For example, the Foreign Minister or Deputy Foreign Minister could have gone. In addition, they could have used a procedural trick. The President could have ‘fallen ill,’ caught a cold, etc. In any case, I think the President of Georgia should not have appeared there, but if he did, it should have been the subject of appropriate consultations with the Americans, at a minimum. Relevant arguments should have been presented to the Americans; the Georgian government should have explained it. If such consultations took place, that’s good; if not, this is also a very serious mistake,” Chechelashvili stated.

In addition to this issue, he spoke about the Anaklia Port project and explained that it is a very important project that should ensure Georgia’s worthy place in the implementation of the East-West transport and communication corridor.

According to Valeri Chechelashvili, responsibility for the delay of this project lies with the government.

“There are many unanswered questions related to this project. As for skepticism, unfortunately, this skepticism has serious grounds, because we have heard news about the construction of Anaklia Port several times, we have seen specific decisions, the project had even started, but it was later stopped. We should have had an operating port about 5 years ago, and today it is only plans. Georgia has suffered because this project was not implemented in time. Whose fault it was, why, and for what purpose is a secondary issue. Who can we ask if not the state, when such a key project has not been realized on time? We will see how its realization will happen in the future. The Economy Ministry’s press conference raised more questions than answers we heard, but my main doubt is related to the fact that we do not specifically see the participation of serious Western companies in this project. The main center of gravity of this entire corridor is the European Union, because 90% of the cargo intended for that market will pass through this corridor.

There was also a fundamental interest from the Americans. After that, the unrest occurred that very badly affected Georgia’s investment image. A lot of time has passed since then, and now we are talking again about starting the construction of Anaklia Port. This is the basis for skepticism. The participation of Americans, as well as Europeans, is very important in my opinion. The main center of gravity is the European Union. The main geopolitical player in the world today is the USA. Therefore, what can give this project sustainability in its realization is the participation of Americans and Europeans. I think without them, it will not be so beneficial for Georgia,” Valeri Chechelashvili stated.

In addition to this issue, Valeri Chechelashvili also spoke about global political processes, including assessing the situation in Russia regarding fuel shortages. He believes that Russia will face problems not only with gasoline but also with diesel.

“Russia did not export gasoline. Russia produced gasoline for its own domestic market and, in addition, had a 10% reserve of this production. As the Ukrainians say, as a result of recent events, they damaged 50% of gasoline production in the Russian Federation, while according to the Russians’ own admission, it is 30%. Accordingly, the deficit we are seeing has objective grounds. If there were no such grounds, Russia would not be asking to buy gasoline in India. Russia has reached the point where it is asking Kazakhstan for gasoline supplies as humanitarian aid. This will not solve Russia’s fundamental problems. The situation is better with diesel because Russia produced diesel with 100% reserves. Today, diesel exports are banned. Today, Russia more or less meets its own needs, but the Ukrainians will not stop these strikes, will they? Accordingly, they will also have problems with diesel. The sale of gasoline and diesel was a serious source of budget revenue, and Russia has serious budget problems; a banking crisis is already raging in the country,” Chechelashvili stated.

He also spoke about the NATO summit and explained that security issues in NATO space and on its southern flank are linked to Ukraine’s security. From this, Valeri Chechelashvili believes that Ukraine will be the main topic of the summit. “I think several tens of billions in assistance programs will be announced. It is also very important that President Zelensky will have a separate meeting with President Trump on July 8. Putin is very worried about these meetings,” Chechelashvili stated.