Ruling party Chairman: Georgia not present at G7 Summit due to not being “connected with war”

Georgian officials were not present at the G7 Summit because the country is “not connected with the war” unlike Ukraine and Moldova, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Saturday.

The reason [for the absence] is that the current situation in Georgia is not related to the war - consequently, the reason is positive. We are not present at the G7 because we aren’t connected with the war, unlike Moldova and Ukraine,” Kobakhidze told local media.

In comments on the topic, the GD official also said “people who are ‘worried’ about [the absence of a Georgian representation at the G7] are also worried that there is no war in Georgia today,” in reference to a part of the local opposition the ruling party has accused of attempting to cause conflict in the country on the backdrop of the Ukraine war.

Kobakhidze also said the German Embassy in Georgia had explained “direct involvement” in the conflict as the “main criteria” of participating in the Summit.

Foreign ministers of the G7 countries held a three-day Summit in the German town of Weissenhaus to discuss the challenges arising from the Russian invasion of  Ukraine and the ongoing war, including in food and energy security.