Ruling party official calls Russian occupation biggest” challenge”

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party and Tbilisi Mayor, on Wednesday said the Russian occupation of two of the country’s regions was the “biggest problem and challenge” facing it.

In his remarks over the matter, Kaladze noted “we have to reintegrate our territories through maintaining peace, strengthening the country and showing common sense”. 

The biggest problem and challenge for us today are the territories of the country - a certain part of the territories of our country is occupied by Russia, [and] this is a very big problem. Therefore, we should use every opportunity”, he said. 

“[W]ith the involvement of our international partners and friends, we should make the entire world aware of the reality of what is happening in Georgia. The injustice, the problems we are facing [due to the occupation]”, the official continued.

Kaladze stressed the “need” to “reunite” with Abkhaz and Ossetian communities in the occupied regions, and further pointed out the communities divided by the conflicts “must be able to live together”.