Kobakhidze Announces Updates on Anaklia Port Project, Talks with China

During the meeting, the parties discussed the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and the growing dynamics of bilateral relations.Particular attention was paid to bilateral, regional and international cooperation in the field of defense. They also discussed important joint projects and emphasized that the partnership between Georgia and Armenia in the defense sector is developing successfully within the framework of the bilateral cooperation plan.The discussion also touched upon the important role of the region in international processes. The Prime Minister once again reaffirmed Georgia’s readiness to contribute to strengthening stability and peace in the region.

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Kobakhidze emphasized Orbán’s “many years of support” for Georgia and noted that Budapest’s position in the European Union was important in terms of pursuing the country’s interests.“We hope that our people and country will continue to have lobbyists, strong lobbyists in the European Commission and the European Union. Hungary was not the only one supporting us, others were supporting us as well,” the prime minister told reporters.When asked about possible sanctions from the European Union, which have been actively discussed in recent times against the backdrop of tense relations with Brussels, Kobakhidze took a sharp stance.“You expect whatever you want, I expect nothing,” the head of government said in response to the question of whether he expects personal or state restrictions from his partners.Irakli Kobakhidze’s statements come at a time when EU ambassadors in Brussels have expressed preliminary support for the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. At the same time, after the elections in Hungary, where Viktor Orban was defeated, Georgia is facing a transformation in the support of one of its main allies in the region. According to the Prime Minister, Tbilisi is ready to continue working to attract new supporters in the European Commission and the European Council.

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The RPPI covers the market of new residential property in Tbilisi, both flats and detached houses segments.In the first quarter of 2026 a price increase compared to the previous quarter was registered both in flats (2.0 percent) and detached houses (1.1 percent) segments.Compared to the first quarter of 2025, the prices increased in both segments, for flats by 3.3 percent and for detached houses by 1.8 percent.

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According to a review published by TBC Capital, a total of 10,723 apartments were sold in the capital in January-March, which is a 19% increase compared to the same period last year. During the same period, the average sale price of real estate increased by 6% and amounted to $1,343 per square meter.In March alone, the market showed exceptional dynamics - the market volume increased by 33% and reached $352 million. A total of 4,031 apartments were sold during the month (+32% year-on-year), although the average price increase was relatively moderate and amounted to 4% (1,341 USD/sq m).The distribution of transactions by apartment type is interesting: Old apartments: Sales in March increased by 40% and amounted to 3,467 transactions New apartments: A 3% decrease was recorded (564 transactions), which is only 14% of total sales In contrast to sales, the downward dynamics continues in the rental market. According to March data, the average rental price per square meter of residential space is 10.1 USD, which means a 5% decrease year-on-year.According to analysts, the growth in market volume and transactions is partly due to the gradual completion of new, large-scale construction projects in the market, which has increased the available housing stock.

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TBC Georgia, the country’s leading financial services group, was crowned the Most Innovative Bank in Central and Eastern Europe, thanks to the range of first-of-its-kind products that it brought to market throughout 2025.  These innovations, which include instant retail and business banking onboarding, as well as the development of its internal AI assistant Genie, are powered by the Bank’s innovation engine. This engine brings together cross-functional teams to innovate at pace and launch new features quickly.TBC Georgia was also recognised as one of the winners in the Top Financial Innovation category for Central and Eastern Europe. This Award was given for the Bank’s development of its AI Mini & Micro Loan Issuance Assistant, which uses AI to automate the loan issuance process for small-scale lending, replacing a previously manual process and significantly decreasing time to loan disbursement.TBC Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s leading digital financial ecosystem, was also recognised as one of the winners in the Top Financial Innovation category for Asia-Pacific for developing Lola, Central Asia’s first AI banking assistant. Inspired by Generative AI chatbots and underpinned by TBC Uzbekistan’s proprietary Uzbek-language LLMs and Speech Tech, Lola functions as a text and later voice-based “private banker in your pocket”, transforming the customer experience through a new approach that brings conversational and relationship banking to a digital interface by giving customers transactional as well as informational support.“Across both our markets, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring new technological solutions that improve financial services and make our customers’ lives easier. This commitment to technological excellence has been part of our DNA for over 30 years. We continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in this market, as well as in Uzbekistan, where we launched our fast-growing digital banking ecosystem in 2020. This recognition by Global Finance stands as testament to our ongoing tech leadership across Eurasia, as we continue to shape the future of finance in the region”, - Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, CEO of TBC Group, commented.The Innovators Awards by Global Finance have been one of the industry’s key benchmarks for over a decade, highlighting the banks and financial institutions leading the way in technological development and bringing new solutions that shape the future of the global banking sector.

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According to the international methodology, all citizens of Georgia permanently residing in the country, as well as foreign citizens and stateless persons residing in the country, were subject to the census. The reference time for population enumeration (the critical moment of the census) was midnight (12:00 AM) between November 13 and 14, according to which the facts were registered.During the census, data were collected electronically, using modern technologies. The process was carried out in two stages: in the first stage (November 14-23, 2024), the self-enumeration method (computer-assisted web-interview - CAWI) was used, and in the second stage (November 29 - December 31) - the computer-assisted personal interview method (CAPI).Based on high demand from the population, data collection using CAWI method was additionally extended throughout December. Considering that in some mountainous, hard-to-reach municipalities and/or settlements the conduct of fieldwork would be complicated during November-December due to possible deterioration of the weather and difficult meteorological condition, the population census was conducted in September 2024 (namely, in the municipalities of Mestia, Kazbegi, Lentekhi, partially Akhmeta (Omalo administrative unit) and Dusheti (Gudamakari, Magharoskari, Ukanapshavi, Kvesheti, Shatili and Khevsureti administrative units and villages included in the Pasanauri administrative unit)).It should also be noted that the preliminary results of the census, covering the number of population by regions, self-governing units, type of settlement (urban/rural) and sex, were published at the end of June 2025.Based on the final results, the population of Georgia as of November 14, 2024, amounted to 3,929,581 persons, that is 0.4 percent higher compared to the figure published in June, 2025 (3,914,000 persons).52 percent of population (2,048,577 persons) are women, and 48 percent (1,881,004 persons) are men. The share of women is relatively high in Tbilisi and Kutaisi (54 percent), and relatively low in Keda, Khelvachauri, Kharagauli, Sagarejo and Marneuli municipalities (49 percent).According to the census data, as of November 14, 2024, 62 percent of population (2,442,231 persons) lives in urban settlements, and 38 percent (1,487,350 persons) - in rural settlements. The share of the population living in urban settlements, by regions (except Tbilisi) is high in the Adjara A.R. (67 percent), which is due to the high number of Batumi population. The share of the urban population is relatively low in the regions of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kakheti, and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, amounting to 24 percent.The largest share of the population in Georgia is 35-39 age group (7.6%), followed by 10-14 (7.4%), and 30-34 age groups (7.2%). It should also be noted that the share of women is particularly high in the population aged 85 and over. In this age group, the number of women is 2.6 times higher than the number of men.According to the census data, 1,331,485 persons live in c. Tbilisi that is 34 percent of the country's population. The second and third largest regions in terms of population are Imereti (510,741 persons) and Kvemo Kartli (441,630), with 13 and 11 percent of the population, respectively.

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Import dynamics and pricesAccording to Galt & Taggart’s electricity market review, the total value of imports increased by 30.9% in March to $5.9 million. In terms of volume, Russia was still the largest supplier, however, as Russian imports mainly included preferential supplies intended for the Abkhazian region, it took only second place in terms of value.The increase in Turkey’s share of commercial imports was driven by competitive pricing compared to Azerbaijan. In March, the average price of electricity imported from Turkey was 4.6 US cents per kWh, while the cost of Azerbaijani energy was 6 US cents.According to analysts, Turkey’s re-establishment among the main suppliers indicates a gradual change in the geography of imports, which is due to a combination of price and technical factors.Balancing marketIn March, the average price of balancing electricity decreased by 5.7% year-on-year and amounted to 5.7 US cents per kWh. At the same time, the balancing volume increased by 14.8% (0.4 TWh), which amounted to more than a third (33.4%) of the country’s total supply.

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Repressive Legislation and Police ImpunityThe annual report “The State of Human Rights in the World” states that peaceful protesters, journalists and opposition figures in Georgia were subjected to “arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment” in 2024.The organization assessed that the police systematically used unlawful force, including tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons, injuring hundreds of people.According to the report, the authorities used legislative changes to intensify the repression, including large fines for blocking the road or wearing masks. Amnesty International emphasizes that despite the facts of violence, no police officers were held accountable.The judicial system and political persecutionThe document describes in detail “unfair trials”, where defendants were denied bail without evidence. The report cites specific cases, including the cases of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli and activists Saba Skhvitaridze, Omar Okribelashvili and Saba Meparishvili, who were sentenced to prison on politically motivated charges.In addition, the organization draws attention to the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence”, on the basis of which the authorities froze the accounts of independent NGOs and began to persecute their leaders. In October, the ruling party even filed a constitutional lawsuit demanding the banning of three leading opposition associations.Gender-based violence and harassmentAmnesty International is particularly concerned about the gender-based violence against female protesters. The report mentions the cases of opposition leader Elene Khoshtaria and activist Kristina Botkoveli, who were subjected to degrading treatment and forced undressing during detention.According to the organization, the “cleansing” of state institutions in Georgia has affected all spheres, and law enforcement and oversight bodies have become “instruments of political revenge” in the hands of the ruling team.The Georgian government has yet to officially comment on this Amnesty International report.

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