Georgian Gov’t should “measure all its actions a hundred times” regarding Russia - Parliament Vice Speaker

Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker, on Tuesday said the Georgian Government had to “measure a hundred times” all of its actions relating to Russia and should act with “full responsibility for the nation’s interests”, since the “degree of threat” from the Russian side “remains high”.

In his remarks over the killing of a Georgian citizen by Russian-backed occupation forces near a village adjacent to central Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on Monday, Talakvadze noted this “gruesome crime” once again showed that Georgia was facing threats from Russia.

The Georgian authorities, with the support of the people, have managed to guarantee 11 years of “continuous peace” in the country, he said and stressed “this is not a gift, it requires protection and caution, as well as very responsible policy”, while also slamming the radical opposition for “doing the opposite”.

Talakvadze urged the domestic opposition to refrain from “irresponsible statements” over the killing of the Georgian citizen near the occupation line, adding “[instead] it would be better to express your condolences to the family [of the deceased]”.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday called on the international community to make an “appropriate assessment and response” to the developments. 

The Georgian national was killed in “firearm shots” as the occupation forces attempted to illegally detain him in the occupied territory, the State Security Service of Georgia said. Another citizen of the country was illegally arrested in the same incident.