Sheikh Mohamed Meets Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream Officials in Tbilisi
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, September 22, 2025
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, paid an official one-day visit to Tbilisi, where he met with senior Georgian Dream government officials and the party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili to discuss expanding economic ties.
The visit marked a rare public appearance by Ivanishvili, a billionaire and honorary chairman of Georgian Dream who holds no government post but is widely regarded as the party's most influential figure. He welcomed the UAE president alongside Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, and Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili.
Discussions centered on the UAE's planned investment of $6 billion in Georgia, announced earlier this year following Kobakhidze's visit to Abu Dhabi. "The economic links between Georgia and the UAE are growing stronger, which will bring greater benefits to both countries in the future," Ivanishvili told Sheikh Mohamed, according to a Georgian Dream statement. "The investment you are making will bring Georgia and the UAE even closer."
Sheikh Mohamed thanked Ivanishvili for his hospitality and said the projects would begin soon. "The friendly relations between our countries are important and beneficial for both parties, which is why I express readiness to invest more in Georgia," he was quoted as saying. He also indicated an interest in supporting Georgian students' education in the UAE and encouraging youth exchanges in artificial intelligence studies.
Later in the day, Kobakhidze received the Emirati delegation after personally greeting the president at the airport with a red-carpet welcome. Calling the visit "the greatest honor," the Georgian prime minister stressed the importance of deepening ties. "We have a great dynamic in our relations, with very close political and economic cooperation and partnership between the two countries," he said, citing joint work on real estate and transport infrastructure.
For his part, Sheikh Mohamed described the meetings as a continuation of the momentum set by Kobakhidze's January visit to Abu Dhabi. "There are firm ties between Georgia and the United Arab Emirates," he said. "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."
Following the talks, Georgian Dream Economy Minister Kvrivishvili and Mohamed Alabbar, founder of EMAAR and Eagle Hills Group, signed agreements on two major projects valued at $6 billion.
In a social media post after the meetings, Sheikh Mohamed wrote that the 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."
