Russia and Georgia: Normalization Without Setting Expectations Too High

... defeating Mikheil Saakashvili. Following this electoral victory, the head of the Georgian government resigned and nominated Irakli Garibashvili , the 31-year old minister of the internal affairs, as prime minister. The future role of Bidzina Ivanishvili ... ... answers to these questions, Saakashvili’s departure gives rise to hopes of changes in the country’s relations with Russia. These hopes are being reinforced, as one of the Georgian Dream’s key political messages was about normalizing relations ...