PM claims opening “second front” in country “only purpose” for bringing UNM back to power

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday claimed the alleged objective of opening a “second front” in the country amid the ongoing war in Ukraine was the “only purpose” for unspecified groups seeking to bring the “collective United National Movement opposition” back to power.

The only reason why some people want to return the collective United National Movement to power is that they want to open a second front here”, Kobakhidze claimed.

The PM further alleged the UNM party would open the “second front” in the country “within a week” if they managed to return to office.

Kobakhidze also commented on messages of the ruling party’s election banners - which read “No to war” and “Choose peace” while using images of buildings destroyed by Russia in Ukraine - by saying it was “important” to contrast “consequences of war and consequences of peace” for citizens.

We should remind Georgian citizens what is the price of war and what is the price of peace. We are not scaring people. This is the reality they threatened us with in 2022, and they are threatening us with today. We will do everything to prevent a second front in Georgia”, he continued.

The Government head further recalled a statement by Oleksiy Danilov, the former Ukrainian Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council who in 2022 said Georgia would “greatly help” Ukraine by opening fronts against Russia to forcefully regain control over the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, to back his allegations.