'Occupation is off': Russian state media RIA Novosti on Georgian PM Kobakhidze's remarks
RIA Novosti on Russia-Georgia relations
Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti has responded to remarks by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, saying that Tbilisi had decided to reassess the history of its relations with Moscow.
The article, published on 24 August 2026 under the headline “Occupation is off”: Another country refuses to consider Russia an enemy, focused on Kobakhidze’s remarks about the Treaty of Georgievsk.
Background
On 18 August 2026, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that Georgia’s decision to sign the Treaty of Georgievsk had been a “civilisational choice”.
His main argument was that King Erekle II’s decision ultimately ensured the physical and political survival of the Georgian nation. According to Kobakhidze, Christian Georgia, surrounded by Muslim states, chose to align itself with Orthodox Russia.
Kobakhidze argued that the decision was not only justified but also “the only correct and only possible” choice at the time. He said Russia honoured the terms of the treaty during Erekle II’s lifetime:
“While Erekle II was alive, he ensured that the agreement was upheld to the end, and almost 20 years passed between the signing of the Treaty of Georgievsk and the annexation of Georgia. For two decades, our country effectively survived.”
The Treaty of Georgievsk was an agreement between the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and the Russian Empire, signed on 24 July 1783. Under the treaty, King Erekle II accepted the protection of Russian Empress Catherine II, while Russia pledged to defend the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and preserve its territorial integrity. The treaty formally preserved the internal independence of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and did not declare it part of the Russian Empire. However, in 1801, the Russian Empire abolished the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and incorporated it into its territory.
What RIA Novosti says in its article
The Russian state-run news agency says Kobakhidze presented Georgia’s decision to accept the Russian Empire’s protection as the only way for the Georgian people to survive Ottoman and Persian aggression.
The article quotes the views of several political experts, including Nino Skvortsova, whom the agency describes as a “Tbilisi-based political analyst”.
According to Skvortsova, Kobakhidze’s focus on the reign of Erekle II serves not only to reinterpret history but also to justify the government’s current policies.
“Kobakhidze is trying to place Erekle II back in his historical context. For him, the king is important as a ruler forced to choose between major powers while his country’s existence was under threat,” the expert says.
In her view, this approach allows parallels to be drawn with the current policies of the ruling Georgian Dream party:
“Modern Georgia is also caught in competition between major powers, while the authorities justify their actions by the need to preserve peace, sovereignty, traditional identity and freedom of foreign policy manoeuvre.”
RIA Novosti also quotes another expert, Artur Ataev, who says that Georgian Dream is trying to raise a new generation free from old stereotypes. Ataev argues that the opposition, in turn, wants Georgia to follow the example of Ukraine, the Baltic states and other former Soviet republics.
“Today, this is one of the main topics of debate in Georgian society. There are even calls to recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Ataev says.
He argues that Georgian society and the political elite are gradually changing, but that the restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia is unlikely in the near future.
“After all, most Georgians still see Russia as an occupier,” the expert concludes.
RIA Novosti on Russia-Georgia relations
