"You know that we are a Christian nation, and Europe was always associated with Christianity. It was defending it, protecting Christianity for Georgia,” said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in an exclusive interview with  Euronews.

According to the PM, Europe was always a kind of natural choice for Georgia and Georgians.

“And that is one of the, or the strongest reason, why we want to be a fully-fledged member of the European family. (Being in) Europe also means a higher level of prosperity, which means development for Georgians. So that’s why we are very much committed to this foreign policy priority of Georgia,” he said.

Euronews writes that Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, marking a pivotal moment as the country’s first under a fully proportional system.

“The stakes are high, and the outcome could potentially shape the nation’s future integration within the EU and its movement away from Russian influence.

As the election date approaches, the political landscape in Georgia has become increasingly polarized, with opinion polls continuing to present unreliable and contradictory forecasts.

While the ruling Georgian Dream party is framing the vote as a choice between ‘peace and war’, opposition parties see the election as a battle between the democratic West and authoritarian Russia,” Euronews says.

Responding to the question on the controversy about Russia’s involvement in the political process in Georgia like Moldova, Irakli Kobakhidze said: “I can say that Russia is not influential in Georgia. There are no political parties where they would enjoy their influence. There is no influence from media channels with their influence. So that’s why the Russian side cannot influence the elections in Georgia, essentially.”