Why Bidzina Ivanishvili met the president of the UAE
Ivanishvili met the UAE president
Last week Bidzina Ivanishvili, honorary chair of the Georgian Dream party and the de facto leader of Georgia, met the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during the latter’s visit to Georgia.
The meeting was announced by the Georgian Dream press service.
The meeting drew the attention of Georgian analysts for several reasons. First, because after the collapse of the EU integration process, Georgia’s foreign policy is taking on new contours.
Second, because of the appearance of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country’s informal ruler. The man who effectively governs from behind the scenes spends most of his time in the shadows, so each of his public appearances – whether at high-level meetings or even at the funeral of a well-known figure – becomes an event in itself.
In footage released by the ruling party’s press service, Ivanishvili appeared to sideline Georgian Dream prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze, standing next to him, and led the meeting with the sheikh himself.
Also present were foreign minister Maka Bochorishvili and economy minister Mariam Kvrivishvili.
Ivanishvili met the UAE president
The location of the meeting was not specified in the publication, but judging by the photos and videos it appears to have taken place at Ivanishvili’s private residence.
“The most humiliating part of this video for our country is that, judging by the footage, the person who calls himself prime minister is in fact just an assistant,” said Giga Bokeria, leader of the opposition Federalists party, in an interview with Formula.
Official information on the meeting
Before arriving in Georgia, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Azerbaijan, where president Ilham Aliyev hosted him in Karabakh. In Baku, 14 agreements were signed, including a declaration of strategic partnership.
During the sheikh’s visit to Tbilisi, a memorandum was signed with EMAAR, one of the largest property developers, which plans to invest up to $6bn in Georgia.
“Your investments in Georgia will bring our countries even closer. Thank you for your friendly attitude towards Georgia. I hope we will meet again, and that our partnership will deepen further,” Ivanishvili said.
Why Ivanishvili met the UAE president
The meeting is of particular interest given that only a few months earlier Ivanishvili had refused to meet Robin Dunnigan, then the US ambassador to Georgia, even though Washington had planned to use that meeting to send messages aimed at improving ties with Tbilisi.
According to the opposition, Ivanishvili’s warm welcome for the Emirati leader signalled a shift in Georgia’s foreign policy, away from the west and towards authoritarian states.
“Ivanishvili has already openly stated that he does not intend to develop relations with the west — not to improve communication or to engage at all. He has shifted towards Asian and Arab states,” said Irakli Pavlenishvili, a member of the opposition United National Movement.
“This meeting once again clearly showed us that the only thing Bidzina Ivanishvili cares about is preserving his own power and financial position. A ruler under sanctions and unrecognised by the democratic countries of the west is trying to hold on to that power at the cost of abandoning Georgia’s pro-western course,” said Vano Tsereteli of the opposition Coalition for Change.
Bokeria argued that the Emirates themselves had probably requested the meeting with Ivanishvili.
“The Emirates asked to meet the real master of Georgia, and Ivanishvili did not refuse. And here we must remember that previously Ivanishvili had declined to meet the US representative,” he said.
Against the backdrop of the stalled EU integration process, Georgia is seeking to strengthen ties with other states, including the UAE. Prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgian Dream has twice paid official visits to the Emirates since the parliamentary elections.
Bokeria stressed that, however significant the Emirates might be economically, “for our security, freedom, overall economic well-being and future, the free world — the US, the European Union and the UK, which have now imposed sanctions against Georgia — is vital.”
Opposition figures also argue that through the UAE Ivanishvili is trying to find alternative ways to bypass western sanctions.
“Ivanishvili is expecting new sanctions very soon. Of course, a man whose assets in the west are frozen will be looking for any way to transfer those funds to Georgia,” said opposition politician Khatia Dekanoidze.
Ivanishvili’s appearance as a signal at home
Some analysts believe Ivanishvili’s appearance also carried a message for a home audience.
“It was as if the oligarch was boosting his supporters’ morale at a time when his team was in difficulty,” said Irakli Pavlenishvili of the United National Movement.
Ivanishvili met the UAE president
The Bachiashvili case
Another theory links the meeting to the case of Giorgi Bachiashvili.
The former financial adviser to Ivanishvili and ex-head of the Georgian Co-Investment Fund was arrested on 27 May 2025 at the Georgia-Armenia border under unusual circumstances.
Georgia’s state security service claimed Bachiashvili, accused of embezzling up to $42m and wanted under an Interpol red notice, had arrived at the border of his own accord, where he was detained. In reality, he had been transferred to Georgia from the Emirates in a special operation.
Bachiashvili’s international lawyers argue that the case against him is a personal vendetta by Ivanishvili, and that his forced return to Georgia violated international norms.
According to media reports, there was an informal arrangement between Tbilisi and Abu Dhabi: the Emirates agreed to arrest the former head of the Co-Investment Fund, while Georgia would support the candidacy of Sheikh Nasser al-Nawasi for head of the UN World Tourism Organization, currently led by Zurab Pololikashvili.
Opposition figures do not rule out that Ivanishvili’s meeting with the Emirati leader may be an attempt to continue this cooperation.
Ivanishvili met the UAE president
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