PM hails ruling party’s founder as “main guarantor of peace, stable development”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday said Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was the “main guarantor of peace” in the country and its “stable development”.

Kobakhidze’s comments came after the Georgian State Security Service on Wednesday said it was investigating plans of a “terrorist act” and conspiracy to overthrow the country’s Government, as well as plans for assassinating Ivanishvili.

Kobakhidze noted it was “absolutely logical” that Ivanishvili was the “main target of the criminal plans”.

We saw a terrorist act, an assassination attempt in Slovakia, we saw a terrorist act, an assassination attempt in the United States - the same signature - this is an international context and these forces are operating in different countries of the world”, Kobakhidze said in reference to assassination attempts against the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and former US President Donald Trump.

The PM further claimed there was also a “local context in addition to the international context”.

[T]he [opposition] United National Movement [party] is capable of going to any lengths. One of the things they excelled at when they were in power was killings - they killed young people right in the streets, dozens of young people were killed [...] Therefore, no one should be surprised by conception and preparation of this type of crime by them. This is the international and local context, the rest should be determined by the investigation”, he continued.

Again, I want to recall a phone call I made a few months ago. It was a phone call from one of the European Commissioners that gave us a specific message, which he [the European Commissioner ​​Olivér Várhelyi] later admitted himself, saying that he was talking about the risks of assassination, he just specified that the polarisation [of the domestic politics] would be the one firing the bullet”, he claimed.

The Government head further stressed “risks remain until the war in Ukraine ends”.

We have very high hopes that the war in Ukraine will be over within a year at most. As soon as this happens, the risks will be qualitatively and drastically reduced”, he continued.

The Georgian State Security Service said the alleged plans were “organised and funded” by high-ranking officials of the former Government and former employees of law enforcement agencies currently found in Ukraine.