Appointment of New Special Representative Draws Concerns of Upgrade in Tbilisi-Moscow Relations

The appointment of First Deputy Foreign Minister George Zurabashvili as the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Relations with Russia has drawn concern among Georgian former diplomats about the “dangerous trend” of it being a “form” of restoring diplomatic relations with Moscow and of widening the post’s mandate.

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the appointment of a Special Representative on October 21, with Zurabashvili filling the post that has been vacant since December 2025 while also retaining his current position as first deputy foreign minister. While Kobakhidze did not specify whether the appointment would also mark a change in the functions of the Special Representative, a post created in 2012, his remarks left an impression among professional circles that Tbilisi was expanding the post’s limited mandate.

Diplomatic Society of Georgia (DSG), a group uniting Georgian Dream-critical former diplomats and career diplomats, said in a statement on October 22 that the Special Representative had never before been a Foreign Ministry’s serving diplomat, and that the mandate had always been limited to economic, cultural and humanitarian issues, while the meetings have been “informal in nature.”

Appointing the serving first deputy foreign minister to the post “may be regarded as a form of restoring diplomatic relations, or as laying the groundwork for it,” the statement reads. “This runs counter to the principled position of having no diplomatic relations with Russia.”

The Society also regarded Kobakhidze’s announcement as expanding the Special Representative’s mandate to include “the peaceful resolution of the conflict with the Russian Federation,” which, it said, “amounts to creating a direct alternative” to the Geneva International Discussions (GID), an internationally-chaired multilateral forum for addressing the security and humanitarian consequences of the 2008 Russia–Georgia War.

It said Georgian diplomacy has always aimed “to keep the Russia-Georgia conflict on the international agenda” and to ensure Georgia is “not left alone face to face with Russia” in negotiations, and that the decision “signals a rather dangerous trend.”

Work ‘In All Three Areas’

The post of a Special Representative was established as part of the informal direct dialogue between Georgia and Russia launched in late 2012, commonly known as the Abashidze-Karasin format. The format was meant to address trade, economic, humanitarian, and cultural issues, as diplomatic relations remain cut off amid Russia’s continued occupation of Georgian territories and its recognition of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia as “independent states.”

In terms of addressing Russia’s occupation of two of its regions, Tbilisi has relied on Geneva International Discussions. Co-chaired by the EU, the UN and the OSCE, with the United States participating, GID brings together officials from Tbilisi and Moscow, as well as de facto representatives of the Russia-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia regions. 

Kobakhidze did not explicitly say that the Special Representative’s mandate was being expanded to include conflict resolution as well, but his remarks raised suspicions that this might be the case.

Announcing Zurabashvili’s appointment, Kobakhidze said Georgia’s most important priorities remain “peaceful resolution of the conflict with the Russian Federation, the preservation and development of existing trade and economic relations, and the maintenance of a permanent dialogue on humanitarian issues,” noting that “in the absence of diplomatic relations” the post “is of key importance in carrying out these tasks.”

Asked repeatedly by reporters what prompted the need to fill the post, Kobakhidze said the government saw a “general” need to appoint a special representative, because “active work is needed in all three areas.”

He explained that one of them is “the peaceful resolution of the conflict, which is what the Geneva format is engaged in, including our representation in the Geneva format,” along with trade-economic relations and humanitarian issues. “In all directions, we saw the need for one more important channel, and that’s why we made this decision,” he said.

Asked whether the appointment means a reset of relations with Moscow, Kobakhidze said it does not signal any change in the government’s position on Russia. “Restoring diplomatic relations has its own barrier. This reality has not changed, and accordingly neither has our attitude,” he added.

Also Read:

• 16/10/2026 – Sokhumi, Tskhinvali, Moscow Digest – October 9-15, 2026
• 02/02/2023 – Karasin-Abashidze Audio Recording Sparks Opposition Criticism

Follow Us