TBILISI, February 5. /TASS/. Georgia’s main goal should be to prevent any escalation in the country, Irakli Chikovani, a candidate for the country’s defense minister, said.

"We have very important cooperation with our partner countries both in the Black Sea region and within NATO. We continue our work in this format. Of course, the situation is extremely difficult and tense and, naturally, our main goal is still to prevent a conflict from erupting in our territory and an armed confrontation from spreading to our territory," he told lawmakers at a meeting of several parliamentary committees.

Georgia’s parliament on Monday is hearing candidates for ministers in the future cabinet. Candidates first address parliamentary committees and then to factions and political groups. The issue of confidence in the new government will be addressed at a plenary session on February 8. The new government will need the votes of at least 76 out of 150 lawmakers to be endorsed.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on January 29 that he was stepping down and was looking at taking on a role as the ruling party leader, which has been headed by Irakli Kobakhidze since 2021. On February 1, the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party elected Garibashvili as its leader, while Kobakhidze was nominated as a candidate for prime minister. Later, Kobakhidze told journalists that he planned only one big change in his would-be government, namely to appoint Irakli Chikovani the country’s defense minister instead of Dzhaunsher Burchuladze.