The head of the Georgian Dream government, Irakli Kobakhidze, says that King Erekle II’s decision in 1783 to conclude the Treaty of Georgievsk saved Georgia and, at the same time, preserved its European perspective.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze says that, given the specific historical circumstances, relations with the Russian Empire were not only a matter of survival for Georgia, but also the only way to preserve its political and cultural ties with the Christian West.
“Considering the historical period and the extremely difficult situation in which Georgia found itself, criticizing the steps taken by Erekle II from today’s perspective is completely unjustified,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. “Especially since Erekle II acted and made decisions with the sole motivation of saving the country, its statehood, and its future. Taking into account the final outcomes, his decision, as well as a number of other political steps, can be assessed as a reasonable and, moreover, brilliant state decision.
“We should not overlook one important circumstance here: the most active critics of Erekle II today present themselves as pro-European citizens and the main Europeans, and they often speak in such a way that they almost consider not only Georgia’s aspiration toward Europe, but even the existence of Europe itself, to be their own achievement.
“In reality, if we take the historical context into account, it was precisely the step taken by Erekle II that preserved Georgia’s opportunity to pave the way toward the European space. In that specific, unfortunate historical situation, relations with the Russian Empire were not only a matter of survival for Georgia, but the only way to preserve political and cultural ties with the Christian West.
“Therefore, it is particularly paradoxical when people who today present themselves as defenders of the European choice, but are in fact pseudo-liberals, criticize Erekle II precisely for the decision that preserved Georgia’s historical existence and the possibility of its subsequent state development, including the possibility of integration into the European space.”
The Treaty of Georgievsk was signed in 1783 between Russia and the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. Under the treaty, the kingdom came under Russian protection. Russia later violated the treaty and abolished the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti in 1801.
