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Georgia's former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream party, said today, while addressing the Georgian Dream Congress, that he is returning to politics and will assume the position of the Honorary Chair of the Georgian Dream Party, Civil Georgia reported.

He began by saying that political activity “is not part of his character”, citing his earlier pledge in 2012 to leave politics after winning the 2012 elections, which he did in 2013, taking an “unprecedented decision in world politics” and leaving the post of Prime Minister. He said he did not enter politics for wishing to have a leadership position but with the belief that it was in the interest of the country and the people, and left politics with the belief that he had “completed the mission” and that the criminals would never get back the ambition to return to power.

However, he said, “the criminal political system has stronger roots than it seemed.” Therefore, he first had to return to politics in 2018. In this context, he recalled the words of the then-EU ambassador, who told Ivanishvili that “without your return, nothing would have remained of the ruling party.” He said he had fulfilled his “mission” and put the ruling team in order. Then he left politics again.