Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has appointed Giorgi Zurabashvili as his special representative for relations with Russia, a post that has been vacant since December 2025. Georgia and Russia have had no diplomatic relations since the 2008 war, which ended with Russia recognising the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two breakaway regions internationally recognised as part of Georgia. Despite the absence of diplomatic ties, Russia and Georgia maintain trade and economic relations, while the Geneva International Discussions and the special representative’s position provide channels for dialogue. Kobakhidze announced the appointment on Wednesday, describing the role as important for maintaining dialogue with Moscow amid the absence of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia. ‘The peaceful resolution of the conflict with the Russian Federation, the preservation and development of existing trade and economic relations, and maintaining ongoing dialogue on humanitarian issues are among our country’s most important priorities’, Kobakhidze said . He added that, alongside the Geneva International Discussions, the prime minister’s special representative played a key role in pursuing these objectives. Kobakhidze described Zurabashvili as an experienced diplomat who had held several senior public service positions over the years, including directorships at various departments of the Foreign Ministry and an ambassadorship. Zurabashvili was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister in 2024 and First Deputy Foreign Minister on 1 July 2025. ‘We are confident that Giorgi Zurabashvili will use his knowledge and experience to fulfil the responsibilities entrusted to him as the Prime Minister’s special representative’, Kobakhidze added. In response to a journalist’s question, Kobakhidze stated that the appointment did not signal a new stage in Georgia’s relations with Russia. Zurabashvili will retain his position at the Foreign Ministry. However, Kobakhidze said that he would represent Georgia in relations with Russia in his capacity as the Prime Minister’s special representative. ‘I will do everything in my power to fulfil the tasks that Georgia needs me to carry out’, Zurabashvili said. The position of the Prime Minister’s special representative for relations with Russia became vacant in December 2025, when Giorgi Kajaja left the post. Before Kajaja, Zurab Abashidze held the position for 12 years, from 2012 to 2024, serving as the prime minister’s special representative for relations with Russia, in the so-called Abashidze–Karasin format, a bilateral dialogue mechanism between Georgia and Russia. On 6 October, the Foreign Ministry announced that Abashidze had been appointed Georgia’s non-resident ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Albania. For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.