The Georgian head of state, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, and his ruling Georgian Dream party are being accused by French-born President Salome Zourabichvili and former president Mikheil Saakashvili, currently in prison, of being Russian agents for not levying sanctions against Russia and not allowing Georgian armed formations to go to Ukraine to fight in the war there.
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Agenda.ge
March 2, 2022
Ruling party MP: gov’t intends to maintain “desperately needed” peace
The Government of Georgia intends to maintain peace in Georgia on the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while the opposition is “using the catastrophe” to come to power, ruling Georgian Dream party MP Sozar Subari said on Wednesday.
Subari, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Regional Policy and Self-government, said the ongoing crisis required “special caution” from the government in the context of the presence of Russian occupying forces “30 kilometres from Tbilisi”, a reference to the troops in the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region of central Georgia.
The Parliament member was responding to controversy stemming from the opposition’s criticism of the government’s stance on the conflict, and accused opposition parties of “us[ing] this catastrophe to come to power” instead of a genuine support for Ukraine.
The Georgian government…intends to maintain peace in Georgia that we so desperately need in these difficult times,” Subari said while raising the topic of armed conflicts on the Georgian territory over the last three decades to point to a necessity of avoiding another flashpoint.
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Agenda.ge
March 2, 2022
Mayor Kakha Kaladze has refrained from commenting on the recall of the Ukrainian Ambassador to Georgia, adding the Georgian government would “always act in the interests of our country and our people” in its decisions.
Kaladze, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was responding to the controversy around the recall of the Ambassador on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelensky cited the Georgian government’s refusal to allow Georgian volunteers to take part in the conflict as the reason for the move.
In his comments on the subject, Kaladze said he “wishes peace to the Ukrainian people”, adding he would “make assessments [on political decisions] later.”
The GD General Secretary also spoke on the issue of the volunteers to Ukraine, stressing “[t]he interests of the [Georgian] state will always come first.”
Tbilisi Mayor declines to comment on Ukrainian Ambassador recall, says government “will act in interests of country.”
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Civil Georgia
March 2, 2022
Opposition Reacts to Ukraine Recalling Ambassador from Tbilisi
Opposition lambasted Georgian government after Ukraine recalled its Ambassador to Georgia over the “immoral position” of Irakli Garibashvili’s cabinet on Russia sanctions and Tbilisi’s refusal of a chartered flight to transport volunteers to Ukraine.
MP Salome Samadashvili, Lelo: “Ukraine made an unprecedented decision….I would like to explain to the public what the decision means in the language of diplomacy. It means that the Government of Ukraine considers that the Georgian Government, with its politics, is not only not helping Ukraine, but is aiding Russian intervention and implementation of war objectives, which is to abolish Ukraine’s statehood.”
MP Khatuna Samnidze, Republican Party, to GD lawmakers: “The Ukrainian ambassador was recalled because your Prime Minister made pro-Russian statements. Your Prime Minister blocked the path for our volunteers and did not even make explanations… [PM Irakli Garibashvili] openly, directly says that no one can end the war, sanctions do not work.”
Anti-bellum 