Bidzina Ivanishvili Explains His Return to Politics and Speaks on Giorgi Gakharia's 'Betrayal'
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, January 5, 2024
On December 30, the founder of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, announced his return to politics and revealed that he would serve as the honorary chairman of the party.
In his announcement, Bidzina Ivanishvili discussed entering politics in 2018 for specific reasons. He mentioned receiving a warning from a former EU ambassador about potential challenges for the ruling party, fulfilling a mission by organizing a political team and system, and subsequently leaving politics after reaching retirement age. Ivanishvili expressed disappointment at the 'betrayal' by Giorgi Gakharia, whom he claimed turned against the country and the team. Ivanishvili emphasized that to save the country from a 'challenging scenario,' he assumed the role of an adviser.
"I had to turn to politics for the first time in 2018. I won't bother you anymore by reminding you of the reasons for this decision. I will only recall the words of the former EU ambassador, whose family I was friends with. The ambassador told me that if I didn't return, one month would pass, and nothing would be left of the ruling party. It was true, and I knew it very well. However, from what the ambassador said, I realized that what I saw and assessed was visible from the outside as well.
Then, I fulfilled my mission; we organized the team from scratch, built the system, and only after that, I left politics for the second time. Additionally, reaching the retirement age provided another honorable reason for this decision.
The only thing I could not anticipate was the betrayal of the country and the team by Giorgi Gakharia, which occurred just one month after I distanced myself from politics. During that time, I had assumed the role of an advisor. Had I not provided assistance to the team through consultations, the processes could have unfolded in the most challenging scenario for the country," Ivanishvili stated.
