While opponents debate the legitimacy of the Georgian president, he seems to have found a way to carve out a window into global politics. And if one looks closely at the trend, this window is a ritualistic one.
“At the meeting held in Doha, the President of Georgia personally expressed his condolences to the Emir of Qatar on the death of the former Emir,” the Georgian presidential administration reported recently. The brief statement also noted that the parties discussed their existing partnership and future prospects. Two photographs accompanied the post.
Interestingly, in early July, Mikheil Kavelashvili attended another memorial service, albeit a more controversial one. A delegation led by the president traveled to the farewell ceremony for Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For Tehran, this was not just a funeral, but a large-scale demonstration of political resilience following a war with the US and Israel.
Mikheil Kavelashvili looked focused and tense at the ceremony. The presence of the Georgian delegation at the memorial service for the Iranian leader was met with harsh criticism, especially against the backdrop of the crisis in relations between Tbilisi and its Western partners. However, many noted at the time that in parliamentary Georgia, sending the president to Tehran was a compromise option.
In fact, a specific mourning trend in Mikheil Kavelashvili’s activities emerged at the very dawn of his presidency. He made his first major European trip in April 2025, attending the funeral of Pope Francis. By that time, Tbilisi had already fallen into a diplomatic boycott and was making unsuccessful attempts to establish contact with the US presidential administration. Therefore, a photograph in which Donald Trump seemingly waves at Kavelashvili, while the latter smiles cheerfully back at him, caused a real sensation. Pro-government media circulated it widely until it was revealed that the welcoming gesture was intended for someone else.
To be fair, Kavelashvili does not, of course, only travel to funerals, but mourning visits remain the most prominent feature of his international biography so far. Well, it may not be much, but it is a niche nonetheless.