Tsotne Ivanishvili says ‘artificial polarisation’ in Georgia should be replaced by debate

Tsotne Ivanishvili, son of the ruling Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili, on Saturday said political polarisation in Georgia, which he described as “artificially created,” should be replaced by open debate and dialogue, stressing that a shared love for the country is essential for meaningful discussion.

Speaking at the Georgian Dream youth organisation’s conference in Shekvetili, Ivanishvili responded to a question from an attendee regarding individuals detained during protests and those described as political or conscience prisoners.

He began by condemning violence, saying recent incidents were painful for society and “should not have happened.”

“I personally feel deeply about these facts, of course I condemn violence, and in my opinion, all of this should not have happened this way,” Ivanishvili said.

Addressing the issue of political polarisation, he said the best solution lies in “discussion, debate and listening to differing opinions,” but added that such dialogue is only possible when both sides are united by “genuine love for the homeland.”

“If two people truly care about their country, no matter how different their views are, discussion and debate can bring a lot of good. But when a person is pleased by bad events in the country and upset by good ones, unfortunately, there is no point in talking,” Ivanishvili said.

He criticised the tendency for debates to collapse into name-calling rather than rational argument, saying discussions should not end with labels such as “Dream supporter,” “Russian,” or “National Movement supporter,” but instead be based on listening to arguments and logical reasoning.

Ivanishvili expressed optimism that increased dialogue among young people could reduce divisions in society.

“I am sure that love for the homeland unites many people in our country, and we will be able to replace this artificial polarisation with debate,” he said.

He added that forums such as the youth conference provide opportunities for exchanging ideas and voiced hope that similar discussions would become more frequent across the political spectrum.