Updated: 02.09.2025
The Center for International Policy Research and Forecasting (CIPRF) is an interdisciplinary scientific research organization that was founded in 2020 and registered in the Public Registry on March 29, 2021. The center is led by Lasha Shamatava.
According to the organization’s website, Luka Ekhvaia is a senior researcher at CIPRF and was appointed as President Mikheil Kavelashvili’s advisor in March 2025. Another CIPRF researcher, Otar Tchulukhadze, works as an analyst for POSTV and is a member of the “People’s Power.” Both Luka Ekhvaia and Otar Tchulukhadze’s comments have received extensive coverage in the state media.
Luka Ekhvaia hosted a podcast on YouTube with Ilia Lobzhanidze, who is a representative of the pro-Kremlin “Socialist Platform.” In May 2025, employees of the Public Broadcaster, including Giorgi Gvimradze, participated in the “Socialist Platform” event. Moreover, Ekhvaia has been a guest on the Public Broadcaster’s program 42nd Parallel on several occasions.
Ekhvaia’s messages frequently align with government narratives. He repeats government conspiracies about the “Deep State” and has previously spoken openly about Georgia being drawn into a war by various forces.
Ekhvaia also supports Georgia’s inclusion in alternative international formats, such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and other members) and the regional “3+3” format, which involves cooperation among South Caucasian countries and their neighbors.
In 2023, Myth Detector verified a video shared by Ekhvaia, in which he manipulatively claimed that the European Union was ignoring its own sanctions and continuing to actively trade with Russia.
