National Guard’s Vice Chief Credits Georgia’s ‘Leadership Factory’ nationalguard.mil
Day: February 13, 2026
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze raised migration issues in a four-minute video address on Facebook, reviewing several data points and praising the government’s policies while vowing a further crackdown to “free” the country from illegal migrants in “several years.”
“Migration is one of the issues that particularly troubles Georgian society,” Kobakhidze said in a February 13 video. “Against the backdrop of ongoing developments in Europe, public concern and interest in this issue are not only justified but, on the contrary, welcome,” he added, asserting that every “patriotic Georgian’s” wish is to “firmly defend and preserve the country’s national and religious identity.”
He then reviewed several core migration-related data points. Citing preliminary results of the general population census, Kobakhidze said Georgia’s population stands at 3,914,000, of which foreigners, including illegal migrants, account for a maximum of 257,000, or 6.6%.
Citing border-crossing data, he said that of the 257,000 foreigners, about 70%, or 180,000, are from what he called “post-Soviet” countries, as well as the EU, the United States, and Israel. He noted that at least 40,000 of them are former Georgian citizens or have Georgian surnames.
Kobakhidze then said that Turkish nationals make up 7.4% of foreigners in Georgia, while Iranian citizens account for 3.7%. He added that, contrary to what he called “widespread speculation,” their share of the total population is just 0.7%.
“From countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, we practically have no migrants, which, unlike politicians preoccupied with speculation, should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the situation,” Kobakhidze added.
He then spoke about foreign students in the country, saying there are 37,000 in total, the majority from India. Arguing that students’ fees for studying and living in Georgia add GEL 300,000 to the country’s budget and noting that they have created more than 10,000 jobs, Kobakhidze defended the programs, saying, “Cancelling foreign student programs would cause significant losses to Georgia’s economy, budget, and employment rate.” He then also argued that foreign students leave Georgia once they graduate, “therefore, they pose no risk whatsoever to the country’s demographic profile.”
Saying the situation is not as “some politicians” portray it, Kobakhidze said nevertheless that “much still needs to be refined and improved with regard to migration.”
He said the government is “strengthening” the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which he said “expelled more illegal migrants over the past year than had been expelled over the previous ten years.”
“Strengthening the department will enable us to fully free the country from illegal migrants within a few years, whose number currently exceeds 20,000,” he added.
Kobakhidze then mentioned new legal restrictions he said will take effect on March 1, limiting foreigners’ labor activity in Georgia, changes he said “will enable us to adequately protect both the interests of the country’s economy and our citizens.” He also credited the Georgian Dream government for the 2017 constitutional amendments that prohibited transferring agricultural land to foreign nationals.
“Protecting and preserving Georgia’s national and religious identity is one of our top national priorities,” Kobakhidze said, “And the Georgian government will do everything to achieve it.”
The statement comes amid Georgian Dream’s tightened migration laws and increasingly hardline rhetoric on illegal migration. In December 2025, Kobakhidze said Georgia expelled 1,131 illegal migrants that year, while pledging to expel at least 3,500 more in 2026.
Also Read:
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze raised migration issues in a four-minute video address on Facebook, reviewing several data points and praising the government’s policies while vowing a further crackdown to “free” the country from illegal migrants in “several years.”
“Migration is one of the issues that particularly troubles Georgian society,” Kobakhidze said in a February 13 video. “Against the backdrop of ongoing developments in Europe, public concern and interest in this issue are not only justified but, on the contrary, welcome,” he added, asserting that every “patriotic Georgian’s” wish is to “firmly defend and preserve the country’s national and religious identity.”
He then reviewed several core migration-related data points. Citing preliminary results of the general population census, Kobakhidze said Georgia’s population stands at 3,914,000, of which foreigners, including illegal migrants, account for a maximum of 257,000, or 6.6%.
Citing border-crossing data, he said that of the 257,000 foreigners, about 70%, or 180,000, are from what he called “post-Soviet” countries, as well as the EU, the United States, and Israel. He noted that at least 40,000 of them are former Georgian citizens or have Georgian surnames.
Kobakhidze then said that Turkish nationals make up 7.4% of foreigners in Georgia, while Iranian citizens account for 3.7%. He added that, contrary to what he called “widespread speculation,” their share of the total population is just 0.7%.
“From countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, we practically have no migrants, which, unlike politicians preoccupied with speculation, should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the situation,” Kobakhidze added.
He then spoke about foreign students in the country, saying there are 37,000 in total, the majority from India. Arguing that students’ fees for studying and living in Georgia add GEL 300,000 to the country’s budget and noting that they have created more than 10,000 jobs, Kobakhidze defended the programs, saying, “Cancelling foreign student programs would cause significant losses to Georgia’s economy, budget, and employment rate.” He then also argued that foreign students leave Georgia once they graduate, “therefore, they pose no risk whatsoever to the country’s demographic profile.”
Saying the situation is not as “some politicians” portray it, Kobakhidze said nevertheless that “much still needs to be refined and improved with regard to migration.”
He said the government is “strengthening” the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which he said “expelled more illegal migrants over the past year than had been expelled over the previous ten years.”
“Strengthening the department will enable us to fully free the country from illegal migrants within a few years, whose number currently exceeds 20,000,” he added.
Kobakhidze then mentioned new legal restrictions he said will take effect on March 1, limiting foreigners’ labor activity in Georgia, changes he said “will enable us to adequately protect both the interests of the country’s economy and our citizens.” He also credited the Georgian Dream government for the 2017 constitutional amendments that prohibited transferring agricultural land to foreign nationals.
“Protecting and preserving Georgia’s national and religious identity is one of our top national priorities,” Kobakhidze said, “And the Georgian government will do everything to achieve it.”
The statement comes amid Georgian Dream’s tightened migration laws and increasingly hardline rhetoric on illegal migration. In December 2025, Kobakhidze said Georgia expelled 1,131 illegal migrants that year, while pledging to expel at least 3,500 more in 2026.
Also Read:
Students, professors, and management at Tbilisi’s Ilia State University (IliaUni) have pledged to resist what they describe as an “unconstitutional” academic overhaul that would gut one of Georgia’s leading and most outspoken universities of many of its popular and highly-rated academic programs.
On February 12, under the “one city, one faculty” initiative, the Georgian Dream authorities announced that Ilia State University would retain only pedagogy and select STEM programs while most social sciences, humanities, and other disciplines would be eliminated. Student admissions would drop from 3,770 in the 2025–2026 academic year to just 300 places, which is a drastic 92% reduction.
The plan was unveiled days after GD had to backpedal on its intention to merge Tbilisi State University (TSU) with Georgian Technical University (GTU) after hitting resistance even among the otherwise supportive academic staff at GTU.
While IliaUni – which has repeatedly expressed criticism over Georgian Dream’s policies – appears to be the hardest hit, experts warn that the announced “reorganization” may extend to other state universities, potentially triggering wider restructuring across Georgia’s higher education system.
Founded in 2006 through the merger of six higher education institutions, Ilia State University currently enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including 700 international students. The university comprises three faculties (Arts and Sciences; Natural Sciences and Medicine; Business, Technology, and Education) and one School of Law. Under the new plan, most of these academic units would be dismantled, leaving only pedagogy and ABET-accredited STEM programs.
According to data from the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, by 2024 university operated one international doctoral school, 26 institutes, 50 research centers, and six laboratories. It employed 353 faculty members, 17 emeritus professors, 218 researchers, 869 invited lecturers, and 1,289 administrative and support staff.
Changes
Under Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s approved quotas for the state university programs, Ilia State University’s undergraduate intake will be capped at 300 students across the following programs:
Bachelor’s Programs:
- Earth Sciences – 30 places
- Mathematics, Physics, Biology, History, Georgian Philology, English Studies, French Studies (each with integrated one-year teacher preparation) – 20 places each
- Applied German Studies (with teacher preparation) – 10 places
- Liberal Arts – 20 places
- Computer Engineering – 20 places
- Civil Engineering – 20 places
- Civil Engineering (English language) – 15 places
- Computer Engineering (International, English-language) – 20 places
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering (English-language) – 15 places
- Early Childhood Development and Education – 20 places
Master’s programs are also significantly reduced, with five places allocated per field in areas including Earth Sciences, Medieval Studies, Applied Genetics, Applied Genetics (English-language), Addiction Studies, Religious Studies, Communication, Language and Speech Therapy, Central and Eastern European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CEERES), Education Administration, Lexicography and Terminology, Atmospheric and Near Space Sciences, and German Studies.
Management and Students Protest
In a February 12 statement, the university’s highest collegial governing bodies condemned the changes as unconstitutional and damaging to academic freedom.
“This decision is unconstitutional and undermines higher education in Georgia, university autonomy, and academic freedom. It destroys internationally recognized research areas and academic programs, as well as the country’s prospects for European development,” the statement read.
The Board further argued that the decree “strips Ilia State University of the ability to implement educational and research programs across all fields of science, including social sciences and humanities, life sciences, and Physical sciences – in which Ilia State University is the undisputed national leader according to international rankings.”
“This harmful decision affects not only more than 17,000 students and up to 3,000 employees of Ilia State University, but also the broader society, to whose development the university makes a significant contribution,” the statement noted.
Calling for the decision to be revoked, the university said the reform is not based on “evidence or research data,” and “destroys Ilia State University’s achievements in research and teaching.”
Students gathered at the university’s campus on the evening of February 12 to protest the changes.
“We, the students gathered here, unanimously demand the withdrawal of the so-called reform, the preservation of university autonomy, and the right to full-fledged education,” a representative of the student movement told demonstrators. They called on academic staff for “disobedience and resistance,” and not to comply with the cancellation of programs.
“Strength lies in student unity, fall to the regime, and freedom to the regime’s prisoners,” students declared.
Education scholars Shalva Tabatadze and Ketevan Chachkhiani analyzed admission data at state universities, with Tabatadze noting that Ilia State University’s intake will fall from 3,770 students in 2025-2026 to 300, accounting for a 92% decrease. They also estimate that bachelor’s admissions at state universities overall have been reduced by approximately 3,000 places compared to the previous academic year.
Experts expect other institutions to be affected.
„Reorganization will take place everywhere, and it will be carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science rather than by the universities themselves,“ Tabatadze further wrote.
The plan envisions designating Tbilisi State University as what the authorities describe as a “mother university.” Under the broader restructuring, TSU would offer programs in Exact and Natural Sciences, Humanities (excluding pedagogy), Law, Economics, and Business Administration, as well as Social and Political sciences. Georgian Technical University will be reduced to Engineering and technical disciplines.
Iago Kachkachishvili, Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at TSU, raised concerns, saying that the number of places for sociology studies has been reduced by 88.5% compared to 2025–2026.
“For the 2025-26 academic year, sociology teaching at the bachelor’s level was provided by three state universities – TSU, Ilia State University, and Sokhumi State University – with a total of 260 places. Now this program remains only at TSU and only with 30 places,” Kachkachishvili said on Facebook.
“Sociology becomes marginalized in an authoritarian society,” Kachkachishvili wrote, arguing that the authorities view public opinion as “a barrier on the path to absolute consolidation of power” and that the reform amounts to “a systemic reduction of free and critical academic programs.”
Also Read:
Students, professors, and management at Tbilisi’s Ilia State University (IliaUni) have pledged to resist what they describe as an “unconstitutional” academic overhaul that would gut one of Georgia’s leading and most outspoken universities of many of its popular and highly-rated academic programs.
On February 12, under the “one city, one faculty” initiative, the Georgian Dream authorities announced that Ilia State University would retain only pedagogy and select STEM programs while most social sciences, humanities, and other disciplines would be eliminated. Student admissions would drop from 3,770 in the 2025–2026 academic year to just 300 places, which is a drastic 92% reduction.
The plan was unveiled days after GD had to backpedal on its intention to merge Tbilisi State University (TSU) with Georgian Technical University (GTU) after hitting resistance even among the otherwise supportive academic staff at GTU.
While IliaUni – which has repeatedly expressed criticism over Georgian Dream’s policies – appears to be the hardest hit, experts warn that the announced “reorganization” may extend to other state universities, potentially triggering wider restructuring across Georgia’s higher education system.
Founded in 2006 through the merger of six higher education institutions, Ilia State University currently enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including 700 international students. The university comprises three faculties (Arts and Sciences; Natural Sciences and Medicine; Business, Technology, and Education) and one School of Law. Under the new plan, most of these academic units would be dismantled, leaving only pedagogy and ABET-accredited STEM programs.
According to data from the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, by 2024 university operated one international doctoral school, 26 institutes, 50 research centers, and six laboratories. It employed 353 faculty members, 17 emeritus professors, 218 researchers, 869 invited lecturers, and 1,289 administrative and support staff.
Changes
Under Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s approved quotas for the state university programs, Ilia State University’s undergraduate intake will be capped at 300 students across the following programs:
Bachelor’s Programs:
- Earth Sciences – 30 places
- Mathematics, Physics, Biology, History, Georgian Philology, English Studies, French Studies (each with integrated one-year teacher preparation) – 20 places each
- Applied German Studies (with teacher preparation) – 10 places
- Liberal Arts – 20 places
- Computer Engineering – 20 places
- Civil Engineering – 20 places
- Civil Engineering (English language) – 15 places
- Computer Engineering (International, English-language) – 20 places
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering (English-language) – 15 places
- Early Childhood Development and Education – 20 places
Master’s programs are also significantly reduced, with five places allocated per field in areas including Earth Sciences, Medieval Studies, Applied Genetics, Applied Genetics (English-language), Addiction Studies, Religious Studies, Communication, Language and Speech Therapy, Central and Eastern European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CEERES), Education Administration, Lexicography and Terminology, Atmospheric and Near Space Sciences, and German Studies.
Management and Students Protest
In a February 12 statement, the university’s highest collegial governing bodies condemned the changes as unconstitutional and damaging to academic freedom.
“This decision is unconstitutional and undermines higher education in Georgia, university autonomy, and academic freedom. It destroys internationally recognized research areas and academic programs, as well as the country’s prospects for European development,” the statement read.
The Board further argued that the decree “strips Ilia State University of the ability to implement educational and research programs across all fields of science, including social sciences and humanities, life sciences, and Physical sciences – in which Ilia State University is the undisputed national leader according to international rankings.”
“This harmful decision affects not only more than 17,000 students and up to 3,000 employees of Ilia State University, but also the broader society, to whose development the university makes a significant contribution,” the statement noted.
Calling for the decision to be revoked, the university said the reform is not based on “evidence or research data,” and “destroys Ilia State University’s achievements in research and teaching.”
Students gathered at the university’s campus on the evening of February 12 to protest the changes.
“We, the students gathered here, unanimously demand the withdrawal of the so-called reform, the preservation of university autonomy, and the right to full-fledged education,” a representative of the student movement told demonstrators. They called on academic staff for “disobedience and resistance,” and not to comply with the cancellation of programs.
“Strength lies in student unity, fall to the regime, and freedom to the regime’s prisoners,” students declared.
Education scholars Shalva Tabatadze and Ketevan Chachkhiani analyzed admission data at state universities, with Tabatadze noting that Ilia State University’s intake will fall from 3,770 students in 2025-2026 to 300, accounting for a 92% decrease. They also estimate that bachelor’s admissions at state universities overall have been reduced by approximately 3,000 places compared to the previous academic year.
Experts expect other institutions to be affected.
„Reorganization will take place everywhere, and it will be carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science rather than by the universities themselves,“ Tabatadze further wrote.
The plan envisions designating Tbilisi State University as what the authorities describe as a “mother university.” Under the broader restructuring, TSU would offer programs in Exact and Natural Sciences, Humanities (excluding pedagogy), Law, Economics, and Business Administration, as well as Social and Political sciences. Georgian Technical University will be reduced to Engineering and technical disciplines.
Iago Kachkachishvili, Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at TSU, raised concerns, saying that the number of places for sociology studies has been reduced by 88.5% compared to 2025–2026.
“For the 2025-26 academic year, sociology teaching at the bachelor’s level was provided by three state universities – TSU, Ilia State University, and Sokhumi State University – with a total of 260 places. Now this program remains only at TSU and only with 30 places,” Kachkachishvili said on Facebook.
“Sociology becomes marginalized in an authoritarian society,” Kachkachishvili wrote, arguing that the authorities view public opinion as “a barrier on the path to absolute consolidation of power” and that the reform amounts to “a systemic reduction of free and critical academic programs.”
Also Read:
Estonian Ambassador Marge Mardisalu-Kahar will end her mission in Georgia on March 10 and move to Yerevan as ambassador to Armenia, while chargé d’affaires Gita Kalmet will lead the embassy in Tbilisi until a new ambassador is appointed. The Estonian Foreign Ministry notified Kalmet of the changes on February 11.
Appointed Estonia’s ambassador to Georgia in 2024, Mardisalu-Kahar was accredited to both Georgia and Armenia but resided in Tbilisi. With Estonia set to open its embassy in Yerevan in March, she will become the first Estonian ambassador to live there.
In its coverage, Estonia’s public broadcaster emphasized that the changes come amid “cooling relations between Estonia and the Georgian government, while contacts with Armenia are intensifying.”
The official website of the Estonian Foreign Ministry states on Georgia, “Estonia has long contributed to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, but due to the systematic drift of the Georgian authorities away from democracy, including the shortcomings in fulfilling the conditions set for EU candidate status, supporting Georgian institutions is no longer a foreign policy priority for Estonia.”
It adds that “Estonia contributes to the development of civil society and free media” and “consistently supports the territorial integrity of Georgia. An Estonian expert is working in the EU monitoring mission in Georgia.”
Relations between Georgia and Estonia, along with other Baltic states, have sharply deteriorated over the past several years amid Georgian Dream’s anti-democratic course and crackdown on dissent. Bilateral relations have been marked by repeated verbal attacks and accusations by Georgian Dream authorities against Estonian diplomats and officials, as well as Estonia’s sanctions in response to the government’s crackdown on protests.
Also Read:
- 10/03/2025 – Interview | Margus Tsahkna: Dignity, Values and Future of Democracy Are at Stake
- 15/04/2025 – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Expand Sanctions on Georgian Officials
- 23/01/2025 – Estonian Parliament Adopts Statement in Support of Georgian People
- 02/12/2024 – Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia Sanction Ivanishvili, MIA Official
The dispute between the Georgian government and the British broadcaster BBC is entering a legal phase after the ruling Georgian Dream party filed an official complaint and demanded the removal of a report that said chemical weapons were used to disperse protests in Tbilisi in late 2024.
An investigative article and documentary published on 1 December 2025 say evidence obtained by the BBC suggests the Georgian authorities may have used “kamite,” a chemical weapon from the First World War, to disperse anti-government demonstrations in Tbilisi.
The BBC says it has already responded to the complaint. A company spokesperson said the process is proceeding under established rules and that the broadcaster stands by both the facts presented in the documentary and its independent investigation into the authorities’ response to the protests in Tbilisi.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said at a briefing on 15 January that, under procedures set out in UK law, the authorities first filed their complaint directly with the BBC. He added that if the broadcaster does not change its position, the next step will involve a complaint to Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. As a final measure, the Georgian authorities do not rule out taking the case to a British court.
Papuashvili said today that officials received the BBC’s formal response a few days ago. At this stage, lawyers are preparing a follow-up appeal under the second level of the broadcaster’s internal complaints procedure.
The dispute is unfolding against the backdrop of prolonged protests in Georgia and the authorities’ response, which have drawn international attention. The BBC investigation has become one of the sharpest international reports on the issue. The Georgian government’s response, through legal channels and public statements, suggests the matter has moved beyond a dispute with a media outlet and could reach British regulators and courts.
Georgian Dream vs BBC