Canada contribution and Iran backdrop give Armenia summit feeling of Trump-therapy session The Irish Times
Day: May 4, 2026
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the margins of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan on May 4.
The Georgian government administration press service said that a “meeting” between Kobakhidze and Zelenskyy, with Botchorishvili and Sybiha in attendance, was held “at the initiative of the Ukrainian side” and that discussions focused on “relations between the two countries.” The footage posted by the press service shows the four officials interacting while standing in what appears to be a pull-aside meeting.
Separately, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X about his pull-aside meeting with Maka Botchorishvili, noting that the two officials “exchanged views on a range of bilateral, regional, and international developments.”
“We also discussed European integration and the EU’s important role in global affairs,” Sybiha said, adding, “We paid separate attention to expanding mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation. Agreed to stay in further contact.”
In a separate episode before these meetings were reported, the Georgian government administration had posted what appeared to be a screenshot of Kobakhidze shaking hands with Zelenskyy as leaders at the EPC summit posed for a group photo.
Relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv have been strained in recent years. What began as unease in Tbilisi over Kyiv’s appointment of Georgian opposition figures, including former President Mikheil Saakashvili, to positions in the Ukrainian government has since widened into a broader rift, deepened by the Georgian Dream government’s controversial stance toward Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine appointed an ambassador to Georgia in January 2026, nearly four years after recalling its diplomat over Tbilisi’s stance following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the 8th summit of the European Political Community.
According to the Georgian government, the meeting took place at Ukraine’s initiative. The talks focused on bilateral relations.
Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also attended.
A separate meeting was also held at the level of foreign ministers. The discussions covered a broader range of issues.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the talks addressed both bilateral relations and regional and international developments. This included issues of European integration and the role of the European Union in global politics.
He said particular attention was paid to the prospects for deepening trade and economic cooperation. The sides also agreed to continue communication in the future.
On 4–5 May, the Armenian capital Yerevan is hosting the 8th summit of the European Political Community. Around 50 leaders of political and international organisations have gathered in the city. The summit is held under the motto “Building the future: unity and resilience in Europe”.
Irakli Kobakhidze meets Zelensky in Yerevan
azernews.az/analysis/257960.…
#Azerbaijan says its 2023 move to restore control over #Karabakh upheld international law, criticizing European institutions for “double standards” and politicizing the issue, while defending its actions as legal measures against separatism #SouthCaucasus #Geopolitics #EuropeanParliament #PACE #InternationalLaw #TerritorialIntegrity #DoubleStandards #Separatism— @AzerNewsAz May 4, 2026