Ruling party head highlights Gov’t’s “principled” stance to restore territorial integrity “only peacefully”

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday highlighted the Georgian Government’s “principled” stance that the country’s territorial integrity must be restored “only in a peaceful way”.

In his social media message, Kobakhidze stressed “we also need to restore trust with our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers and sisters”. 

We need not only to return [the Russian-occupied] Abkhazia and Samachablo [South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region] to a united Georgia, but we also need to restore trust with our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers and sisters. Restoring territorial integrity can have real value for us only in this case”, he said.

The party official also commented on statements and reaction by the domestic opposition on the backdrop of the attempted mutiny by the Russian Wagner Group private mercenaries in late June. 

“The most significant in the radical opposition's reaction to Prigozhin's [Wagner Group’s chief] rebellion was another demonstration of their longing for [opening] a second front [in Georgia amid the war in Ukraine]”, he alleged.

They could not hide that if they had the appropriate leverage, they would use the very first chance to enter Abkhazia and Tskhinvali with tanks. It has been proven once again that the collective [opposition] United National Movement [party] is a party of war and treason, whose goal is to use any excuse to open a second front in Georgia”, the ruling party official said.

Kobakhidze alleged the “collective” UNM had “not made these statements by chance” and was acting “on instructions” from outside.

“The main goal of their patrons is to have a second front [in Georgia], and a no less important goal is to prevent as much as possible the restoration of trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians”, he continued.

In the conditions of a second front [in the country], we would have to go to war not only with the [Russia’s] occupying forces, but also with Abkhazians and Ossetians, which should not be allowed under any circumstances”, the politician added. 

“It is unacceptable for Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians to spill each other's blood once again. This would be a great crime to future generations. Whoever's thinking is directed towards this, they are driven either by extreme imprudence or by enmity towards Georgia”, Kobakhidze continued.

I believe that Georgia will definitely be unified, for which our country needs not a second front, but a pragmatic and rational peace policy, [one that will] not [...] shake the trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians, but to restore trust. We do not need to go to war with each other, but to care for each other to build a united, prosperous state”, the ruling party head concluded.