TBILISI, January 29. /TASS/. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who has announced his resignation, said that the political council of the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party had offered him to chair the political association.

"I have received an offer from the political council to assume the position of the party chairman. A congress will be held on February 1 in this regard," Garibashvili said at a briefing.

Garibashvili, who has headed the government since February 2021, added that the party's political council asked him to make a decision on his resignation by the summer, by the start of the campaign for the parliamentary elections to be held on October 26 of this year. However, he decided to leave office now. "It is important that the new prime minister introduces a new team and forms a new government in time. I wish good luck to the incoming prime minister," he concluded.

According to informal reports, incumbent Georgian Dream chairman Irakli Kobakhidze will become the new prime minister.

Earlier on Monday, the Imedi TV channel reported that on January 24, the ruling party's political council decided that Kobakhidze would become the new prime minister of Georgia and Garibashvili would take over as the party's chairman. The reshuffle will reportedly be carried out on February 1 at the Georgian Dream congress.