PM highlights Gov’t steps for “national goal of uniting country”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said “all steps” taken by his Government were aimed at achieving the “national goal of uniting our country”, in reference to the Russian-occupied territories of Georgia. 

In his remarks, Garibashvili noted the policies “bring us closer to our common, great, national goal that is the uniting of our country”, and pointed out that “this policy has no alternative and is correct, pragmatic and national”. 

Today we are told that because of the [ongoing] war in Ukraine, we should stop everything, we should worsen the situation of our citizens, we should not think about the economy [and] trade”, he said in reference to criticisms of the Georgian Government’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia, and the recent restoration of direct flights between the two countries.

“In general, I would like to say that all our steps are aimed at achieving the great idea of uniting our country”, Garibashvili told the local media. 

The PM also highlighted “double standards of the completely bankrupt and frustrated” domestic opposition in the topic of the country’s relationship with Russia.

I would like to remind our public that [Droa opposition party leader Elene] Khoshtaria before 2012 [...] personally lobbied for [restoration of] flights [with Russia following the 2008 between the two countries], tried to justify visa-free travel [and] talked about the need to develop trade relations with Russia”, Garibashvili said in reference to positions of the then-in-Government political figure.

“You remember the same people and their leader [the former President Mikheil] Saakashvili personally meeting Russian tourists at the border [after travel was restarted following the war]. These people are so shamelessly deceiving and insulting our public today [with their criticism of Government policies on Russia]”, he added. 

What was permissible for them is now unacceptable. Where is the logic? After the [2008] August war, where our heroic soldiers died, we received 10,000 new internally displaced persons inside our country, and a few months after this war, they first handed over strategic energy facilities to Russian state companies, and then unilaterally lifted the visa requirements [for Russian citizens] and launched [direct] flights. Today they tell us that because there is a war in Ukraine, we have to stop everything”, the Government head said.