29 Jan, 2023
Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze was presented with the top award of the Sabino Arana Foundation in Bilbao.
The chairman of the ruling party was presented with the award for deepening Georgian-Basque friendship, protecting democracy and human rights.
The event was organized by the ruling party of the Basque Country in the Theater of Bilbao.
Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the participants of the event with a speech.
“First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the Sabino Arana Foundation for the award. It is a great honor for me to be a person who is committed to friendship with Basques and the Basque Country.
I represent a small but very proud country, Georgia. My nation has had to struggle for centuries to protect its identity, land, religion, and language. That is why we, Georgians, especially value patriotism and people loyal to their homeland. Accordingly, I am very proud to receive the award named after the great patriot Sabino Arana.
Several scientific conclusions prove that there is a historic connection between Basques and Georgians. Although the geographical distance between the Basque Country and Georgia is quite large, there are obvious similarities in culture, traditions, and folklore. Winemaking is an essential characteristic of our cultures, which indicates that we share common roots. Also, Georgian and Basque languages are structurally close to each other. Georgians are well aware of this connection, and they are very proud of it.
This connection motivated previous generations of Georgians, as well as my colleagues and I, to support the further deepening of friendship between our peoples. Tbilisi and Bilbao, Vitoria and Kutaisi, Laguardia and Gurjaani have been sister cities for decades. A Basque language department has been established at Tbilisi State University. There is a continuous partnership but there is also a great deal of space for further development of cooperation in the fields of culture, education, sports, tourism, gastronomy, and investment. Allow me to note that we have planted several Guernica trees throughout Georgia as a symbol of the strong bond and friendship between the Basque and Georgian peoples.
You have a very beautiful country with remarkably beautiful nature, landscapes, cities, and villages. But the most valuable beauty of the Basque Country is its warm people. Each Basque we met motivated us even more to strengthen our friendship. Thank you very much for this!
My country, Georgia, is currently facing several fundamental challenges. Twenty percent of our territory is occupied by the Russian Federation, and its peaceful de-occupation is one of the main national goals of my people. In the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, there was a danger that the military conflict would spread to Georgia as well. It was the main goal of our government to avoid war in our country and we have achieved it successfully. Georgia firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemns Russia’s military aggression in all international forums. At the same time, we are pursuing a pragmatic policy in order to prevent escalation and promote peace in the region. Georgia is also trying to be the facilitator between two neighboring countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan. And finally, we believe that peace and development has no alternative, and that all nations must consistently follow this path.
Despite being a small country, Georgia plays an important role for the international community, both politically and economically. Geographically, Georgia connects Europe with Asia and has great potential to further develop its transit function and capabilities. With a liberal economic policy, we provide fertile ground for economic activity and investment in our country. Thanks to peace and consistent policies, we managed to achieve double-digit economic growth in 2021 and 2022. With this trend, Georgia is becoming an even more attractive country for cooperation for all its friends and partners.
Our goal is to become a full member of the European Union. We applied officially and hopefully Georgia will receive EU candidate status in December of this year. Your support is very important in achieving this goal.
Overall, the general context also provides fertile ground for further strengthening of friendship and development of cooperation between the Basque Country and Georgia. I consider it my responsibility to do my best to support this positive trend.
Allow me to once again thank the Sabino Arana Foundation and all our Basque colleagues for the award as well as for friendship and hospitality,” Irakli Kobakhidze stated.
