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    Ivanishvili, Kobakhidze Host UAE Leader in Tbilisi

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    Ivanishvili, Kobakhidze Host UAE Leader in Tbilisi

    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, visited Tbilisi on September 19, meeting with senior Georgian Dream government officials as well as the ruling party’s founder and honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, to discuss economic cooperation.

    Ivanishvili hosted the UAE leader, who arrived for a one-day visit, alongside Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, and Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili. The appearance was unusual for Ivanishvili, a billionaire widely regarded as the most powerful figure in Georgian Dream rule, who has returned to formal party politics yet holds no government post and generally avoids the public eye except at major party events.

    Sheikh Mohamed’s visit follows Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s trip to the United Arab Emirates in January, where he signed a memorandum with Eagle Hills/EMAAR Properties, one of the UAE’s largest real estate developers, announcing plans for “the largest investment in Georgia’s history,” valued at USD 6 billion.

    According to the Georgian Dream press release, during the meeting with Ivanishvili, the parties discussed economic ties and the UAE’s planned “six-billion” investment in Georgia.

    “The economic links between Georgia and the UAE are growing stronger, which will bring greater benefits to both countries in the future,” Ivanishvili was quoted as telling the guest. “The investment you are making will bring Georgia and the UAE even closer.”

    The press release quoted Sheikh Mohamed as thanking Ivanishvili for his “warm hospitality” and noting the UAE’s “[USD] 6 billion investment” in Georgia, which “will begin in the nearest days.”

    “The friendly relations between our countries are important and beneficial for both parties, which is why I express readiness to invest more in Georgia, which is of particular personal interest to me as the country’s president,” Sheikh Mohamed said, as quoted by Georgian Dream. The UAE leader also reportedly expressed readiness to fund the education of Georgian students in the UAE and help Georgian youth deepen their knowledge of artificial intelligence.

    Meetings with Georgian Dream government officials

    Kobakhidze, who greeted Sheikh Mohamed at the airport with a ceremonial red-carpet welcome, held a separate meeting with the UAE delegation alongside Kvrivishvili and Bochorishvili. According to the Georgian Dream government press release, Kobakhidze described the first visit by a UAE delegation led by the president as “having special significance” and “the greatest honor.”

    “We have a great dynamic in our relations, with very close political and economic cooperation and partnership between the two countries,” Kobakhidze was quoted as saying, citing various UAE investments in Georgia, including projects by Eagle Hills/EMAAR and collaboration on developing a dry port. “Your visit will lay a firm foundation for our future productive cooperation in every direction,” Kobakhidze concluded.

    Sheikh Mohamed, on his part, is quoted by the GD government as saying that the meeting with Kobakhidze following the GD PM’s January UAE trip “is a confirmation of continued cooperation.”

    “There are firm ties between Georgia and the United Arab Emirates. In the future, this will be reaffirmed by our deepening cooperation and the implementation of many more projects, especially in the fields of trade, business, economy, industry, energy, and other priority sectors for both countries,” the UAE leader is quoted as saying in the government’s press release, highlighting growing trade ties worth “millions of dollars.” He was also cited as predicting continued economic cooperation “especially in the transport direction”

    In his X post about the meeting with Kobakhidze, Sheikh Mohamed wrote that “UAE remains committed to strengthening partnerships across the Caucasus region, guided by its approach of building bridges of cooperation that foster collective growth, progress, and stability for all.”

    Following the meeting, Georgian Dream Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili and Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar, founder of EMAAR/Eagle Hills Group, signed agreements on two investment projects worth USD 6 billion, the press release added/

    The visit and the meeting with Ivanishvili come amid Georgia’s increasing isolation from the West and a decline in visits and meetings with Western partners, including those in the U.S. and the EU.

    In May, Ivanishvili declined to meet with then-U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, who said she wanted to deliver a message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. At the time, Ivanishvili cited reasons including sanctions and fear of blackmail for refusing to hold U.S. meetings.

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