OMM Redaksiyası
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, presenting his country as an important regional hub in the South Caucasus and expressing readiness to renew relations with international partners.
Georgia highlights Middle Corridor potential
In his address, Kobakhidze emphasized Georgia’s position along the Middle Corridor, which has attracted interest as an alternative to routes passing through Russia. The trade route runs through the South Caucasus and across the Black Sea, connecting Asia and Europe.
According to the prime minister, free trade agreements give Georgia access to a market of 2.3 billion consumers. The country plans to attract $7 billion in investment by 2032. The funds are expected to be allocated to railway modernization, the deep-sea port of Anaklia, a new international airport in Tbilisi, road expansion and a fiber-optic cable project across the Black Sea.
Economic growth figures released
Kobakhidze said Georgia’s economy had grown by an average of 9.3% annually over the past five years. Growth stood at 7.9% in the first seven months of 2026, he said. Foreign direct investment as a share of GDP averaged more than 6% between 2021 and 2025.
According to an International Monetary Fund forecast, Georgia’s economy is expected to grow by an average of 5.4% annually over the medium term. The prime minister also said the poverty rate had fallen to 7.1% from 21.3% in 2020.
Call for dialogue with Western partners
Saying that Georgia could play the role of a “genuine mediator” in the South Caucasus, Kobakhidze stressed that the region’s future should be shaped by connectivity and transport opportunities rather than old dividing lines.
He said his country was ready to renew relations with any partner based on the principles of “mutual respect and sovereign equality”. The prime minister added that such partnerships “cannot be achieved through pressure or coercion”.
The European Union and the United States were not mentioned by name in the address. Georgia’s EU accession process has been stalled since late 2024, while Washington has reduced high-level contacts with Tbilisi amid disagreements over the country’s foreign agents law and the 2024 elections.
Russian occupation remains on the agenda
The prime minister recalled that Russia controls approximately 20% of Georgia’s territory and that hundreds of thousands of citizens have been displaced. He was referring to Abkhazia and South Ossetia remaining under Russian control after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
In his address, Kobakhidze directly appealed to the Abkhaz and Ossetian communities, urging them to focus on their shared history, which predates political dividing lines.
He concluded by describing the UN as an “indispensable forum for dialogue and joint action” amid global uncertainty and said he supported reforms under the UN80 initiative on the Sustainable Development Goals.
