Kobakhidze: Treaty of Georgievsk with Russia saved Georgia

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the Treaty of Georgievsk, concluded by King Erekle II of Kartli-Kakheti with the Russian Empire, played a vital role in saving Georgia. The document, signed in 1873, provided for the kingdom to become a Russian protectorate, but ultimately resulted in the loss of Georgian statehood.

According to Kobakhidze, Erekle II foresaw the risks, but “the main point is that he understood that signing this agreement was necessary at that moment to save the country.”

When asked by journalists about Russia failing to fulfill the terms of the treaty, the prime minister responded that as long as King Erekle was alive, the agreement was honored.

“Nearly 20 years passed from the Treaty of Georgievsk to the annexation of Georgia, which means [the treaty] worked. During those years, over the course of two decades, our country was effectively saved—it faced an existential threat, and it endured. And when Erekle II passed away, events unfortunately unfolded differently, but that agreement saved our country, which a priori means that the step taken by Erekle II was wise and had no alternative.”

The Treaty of Georgievsk was signed in the fortress of Georgiyevsk in the North Caucasus in 1783 between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. Under the agreement, Moscow undertook the obligation to protect Kartli-Kakheti; however, when the need arose in 1795, it left Erekle II and his army to face the forces of Agha Mohammad Khan alone.

In 1801, Russia issued a manifesto on the annexation of Kartli-Kakheti—something the agreement did not provide for. And in 1811, in violation of the treaty, Russia abolished the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which, according to the document, was supposed to remain inviolable.