Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili said that Georgia understands the war in Ukraine “better than many” and that the country’s ruling party is working to spare its people from another war “no matter the cost,” as he took the podium at the UN General Assembly in New York.
It came after Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Wednesday that Europe had “already lost Georgia,” referring to disputed parliamentary elections last year which saw the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party come to power.
It has since consolidated its rule with a series of crackdowns on opposition figures and pro-democracy protesters, who have been taking to Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue to voice their opposition for more than 300 days.
“I represent the Georgian people, who know both the costs of war and the value of freedom and peace,” Kavelashvili told the UN.
“Amid a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and unprecedented global challenges… Georgia stands firmly as a guardian of dialogue, peace, civility and sustainable development.”
Kavelashvili was sworn in as the sixth president of Georgia in December 2024 after running unopposed in a ballot put to the electoral college controlled by the ruling party, bypassing the popular vote.
A hardline critic of the West, Kavelashvili replaced his pro-European predecessor Salome Zourabichvili, who insists that she holds the only legitimate institution left in Georgia.
“Despite the many challenges surrounding us, we have managed to ensure the security of our people. The fundamental philosophy of the Georgian government remains to preserve peace and, no matter the cost, to spare our people from war,” Kavelashvili’s speech continued.
A diplomatic posture toward Ukraine
Taking a conciliatory tone toward Ukraine as he addressed the war, Kavelashvili expressed sympathy for the suffering of Ukrainians.
“For the fourth year now, a horrific bloody war has been raging in Ukraine, bringing catastrophic consequences and immense human suffering. We understand better than many the pain that the Ukrainian nation endures today.”
“Now, as before, Georgia expresses its firm and unwavering support for the Ukrainian people as we deeply understand the importance of peace,” Kavelashvili affirmed.
In a nod to US diplomacy, Kavelashvili also praised Donald Trump’s role in brokering peace efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as Washington’s continued mediation between Russia and Ukraine.
Kavelashvili’s speech struck a more diplomatic tone than his colleagues in response to Zelensky’s earlier remarks.
The Ukrainian President had warned that “human rights and the European nature of the state system are only shrinking” in the South Caucasus country where a spate of political opponents have been jailed after Georgian Dream pledged to outlaw its political rivals.
Georgian Dream push back against Zelensky
Georgian Dream officials had previously hit back in a series of vitriolic public statements, taking a harsh tone against Ukraine’s head of state.
Tbilisi Mayor and Georgian Dream Secretary Kakha Kaladze told reporters that “it would be better for [Zelensky] to first take care of his own country and think about his own people”, according to Imedi.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists: “Georgia remains the undisputed leader among the candidate countries for the European Union, particularly in terms of democracy and human rights”, adding “I do not wish to engage in a polemic with Volodymyr Zelensky.”
Georgia’s Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili dismissed Zelensky’s claims, according to the Georgian state media, saying on Thursday: “I don’t know what Zelensky is talking about when he mentions losing.”
“A person has lost 30 percent of his country, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and according to his own official figures, 40 percent of the population has fled,” Papuashvili continued. “These are the losses Mr Zelensky is experiencing.”
“He should consider the advice of the US Vice President and show gratitude,” the Speaker criticized.
“When Mr Zelensky demonstrates ingratitude towards the Georgian government, which has consistently supported Ukraine in every way, through humanitarian aid, joining international statements and mechanisms, it amounts to a great disservice to the Georgian government and the Georgian people.”