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Mikheil Kavelashvili Visits Slovakia


Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili is visiting Slovakia from April 1 to 3.

In Bratislava, he met with Slovakia’s president, Peter Pellegrini, and Speaker of the National Council Richard Raši, as well as with Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister Denisa Saková.

Kavelashvili is accompanied by a Georgian delegation that includes Nikoloz Samkharadze, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the disputed Parliament, Deputy GD Foreign Minister Giorgi Zurabashvili, Georgia’s Ambassador to Slovakia, Konstantine Kvachakidze, and representatives of the presidential administration.

Slovakia and Hungary, under far-right populist leaders Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán, respectively, remain among the few European partners of Georgian Dream, amid wider international isolation by the country’s traditional Western partners.

Meeting with the Slovak President

On April 2, Mikheil Kavelashvili met with his Slovak counterpart, President Peter Pellegrini.

During a one-on-one meeting, the two discussed “successful cooperation” and prospects for “deepening existing dialogue” between Tbilisi and Bratislava, according to a press release from Georgia’s presidential administration.

“As the President of Georgia noted during the meeting, in an era of unprecedented global challenges and risks, it is particularly valuable for Georgia to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Slovakia and to support one another in international formats,” the release said, adding that Kavelashvili thanked Pellegrini for his “support for Georgia’s European integration path” and for his “efforts to safeguard the Georgia-EU partnership.”

Press Briefing

Following the meeting, the two leaders each delivered speeches in their native languages during a joint press conference. Along with other bilateral and international issues, the two presidents also addressed Georgia’s EU integration.

Peter Pellegrini’s Remarks

“Bratislava and Slovakia are places where solutions can be sought. Bratislava is a place for dialogue and diplomacy. That is necessary to build trust between nations and states,” Pellegrini said, according to a Georgian translation of his remarks in Slovak.

Pellegrini said EU enlargement is “one of the priorities” for him in international politics and that he discussed it with Kavelashvili. “Some countries express a desire to join the EU and are working on reforms to meet the criteria. On the other hand, enlargement is a complex process, but we must respect that it is a sovereign decision of any country to continue negotiations. It is up to each country to determine how it sees its European perspective,” he said.

“I assured him that Slovakia has become part of a large European market and a member of the European family of developed countries. I am glad that bilateral relations are intensifying at the political level,” he added.

Pellegrini then discussed Georgia-Slovakia ties at length, including trade, education, and partnerships in international formats. He also addressed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and discussed their effects on Slovakia’s economy and the importance of “diplomacy” in avoiding escalation.

Mikheil Kavelashvili’s Remarks

Kavelashvili, speaking in Georgian, called Slovakia Georgia’s “closest ally” and “friend,” saying the two countries “share a common vision grounded in peace, stability, and the protection of national interests,” and added that “against the backdrop of acute global challenges and geopolitical risks, mutual support and close cooperation between countries that share common values and approaches become especially important.”

He added that they had discussed cooperation between the two countries in trade, investment, tourism, defense, security, culture, and education, and emphasized Georgia’s “key role” in the Middle Corridor project and the country’s “growing potential,” especially “in a complex and rapidly changing geopolitical environment.”

He then went on to discuss Georgia-EU relations, saying, “Unfortunately, at this stage, European bureaucracy often makes mistakes in its dealings with us.” Kavelashvili claimed that “Georgia remains committed” to the European values and “Slovakia serves as an exemplary model in upholding these principles.”

“Our people look up to Slovakia’s positioning in the EU with hope, because we have once again expressed our strong desire to become EU members, but our national interests, sovereignty, and the principles of fairness must be respected,” he said.

He further claimed, “We have not halted negotiations. We are always ready for fair, constructive dialogue, but such a process requires a counterpart.” He blamed the “Brussels bureaucracy,” which he said “behaves differently,” while noting that “there is a small group of countries that give us hope.” “Slovakia is one of the leading countries that upholds these principles. Georgia consistently receives support from them, which is very much appreciated,” he added.

The remarks come as EU-Georgia relations are at their lowest point, following what is widely seen as Georgian Dream’s anti-democratic actions in recent years, its November 28, 2024, decision to halt the EU integration process, legislation widely viewed as contrary to European and democratic standards, and its anti-European and anti-Western rhetoric.

Kavelashvili then raised several key talking points of Georgian Dream regarding the war in Ukraine and Georgia, including claims that Georgia faced pressure to join a war with Russia, sanction Russia, and send volunteer fighters to Ukraine. He said, “If more countries were loyal to the peace-oriented policy pursued by Slovakia and Georgia, I am convinced there would have been no war in Ukraine.”

Further Meetings

On April 2, Kavelashvili, together with other members of the Georgian delegation, met with the Speaker of the National Council of Slovakia, Richard Raši.

“During the meeting, the parties focused on prospects for strengthening interparliamentary cooperation, noting that cooperation between the legislative bodies holds a special place in Georgia–Slovakia relations,” Georgia’s presidential administration reported.

On April 2, he met, again together with a delegation, with Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Denisa Saková. The two sides discussed bilateral relations, global political developments, Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor, and Georgia-EU relations.

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