President Saakashvili’s Televised Address to Nation

Tbilisi, April 23

My major goal throughout these years was and is protection of security and sovereignty of democratic and free Georgia.

All my efforts were and are directed towards the goal to restore territorial integrity of our country and to secure peaceful live and development for our citizens, including – and I want to underline that – for our Abkhaz and Ossetian compatriots.

For achieving that goal we have created strong and modern Georgian armed forces and we have strengthened our ties with Europe and NATO.

For the same purpose we have spared no efforts to improve our relations with Russia. You remember that I have extended my hand of cooperation to President Putin and invited him to Georgia for several times.

In recent weeks we have even managed to take some successful steps; as a results air and postal traffic has been resumed between our states.

With a purpose to resolve conflicts we have offered separatist – and you also remember it – unprecedented level of autonomous rights and what is the most important our peace plan received unprecedented international support, including of EU, NATO and the United States.

Unfortunately, as active our efforts have been towards protection of peace and security, as aggressive and provocative was series of steps undertaken by the Russian authorities.

At first the Russian authorities have decided to unilaterally quit the CIS treaty on imposing military and economic sanctions on separatist, on those who have committed ethnic cleansing [in Abkhazia].

Then the Russian authorities have undertaken unprecedented illegal step through which it in fact denounced Georgia’s sovereignty over Abkhazia and South Ossetia and by doing so it has for the first time openly declared its no to legal foundation of recognition of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

And [on April 20 Russia] carried out one more and absolutely obvious – which was well documented for the first time – aggression act against our country, when Russian fighter jet, MIG-29, through violation of all the international laws took off from the Gudauta military base – it [the jet] should not have been there [in Gudauta base] under the commitments undertaken by Russia – destroyed the Georgian police’s unarmed, unmanned reconnaissance plane and carried out an aerial attack on the Georgian territory in the vicinity of [the village] of Ganmukhuri.

These steps are continuation of the Russian Federation’s very dramatic actions that it has been undertaking in recent years. Russia was bombing Abkhazia and in particular Sokhumi in 1992-1993.

Russia was helping separatists to carry out ethnic cleansing and it was carrying out aerial bombardment of Georgia’s territory last year.

Today it [Russia] is helping those who have committed ethnic cleansing to legalize the results of those ethnic cleansing.

Russia’s recent moves, as well as its past actions in respect of Georgia, are illegal, unjust, unacceptable, which contain a huge threat not only for Georgia, but also for peace and stability in the region.

This is the opinion of not only the Georgian citizens and of the Georgian authorities, but of entire international community, entire democratic world.

Russia’s moves are unanimously condemned by EU, NATO and the United States.

The fact that Georgia has a small territory, does not give anyone the right to humiliate our dignity, unity and freedom.

In the light of these circumstances, all of our response actions are based on the following principles:

We will defend and we will not give up our territorial integrity; we will tolerate not a single illegal action undertaken against our sovereign territories.

We will keep maximum diplomatic efforts with our friends and allies to maintain our peaceful and democratic values in order to create guarantees for protection of Georgia’s security and protection of peace and to force everyone to give up aggressive and irresponsible policy towards Georgia.

As a sovereign and independent nation we will undertake any necessary step for protection of our homeland and for reinforcement of our diplomatic position.

I have permanent contacts and conversations with the U.S. and European leaders.

On Monday a phone conversation was held upon my request with President Putin in order to receive explanations over the recent development. But what I have heard was neither acceptable, nor satisfactory for Georgia and I have told it to President Putin very openly and frankly.

I have sent our Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and with other representatives of the U.S. administration in order to explain to them our deep concern over recent developments.

We have also requested a special session of the UN Security Council to discuss evidence confirming the latest aggression [downing of the drone].

We will continue active use of all diplomatic means for protection of our security and sovereignty.

We will continue protection of our positions in order to show everyone that for Georgia it is of vital importance to be free of any aggression, to be protected from any attacks and to have the right to freely choose friends and allies.

We should understand that a real threat exists not only for our homeland and our people, but also for our most fundamental values.

Not only the Georgian statehood is under attack, but also the fundamental values of the Georgian nation. We are freedom and democracy-loving people; just the commitment towards these values has triggered the Rose Revolution and further democratic reforms in Georgia.

It seems that for those leaders, who are not committed to principles of democracy and freedom, existence of these principles is in itself in certain countries is unacceptable.

It seems that this very factor is a reason why the provocations in our country coincide with the period when our people have to exercise their democratic right through elections and when Georgia through integration with Europe expresses its free will to choose its allies.

Aggressive leaders have chosen to openly counter neighboring states’ free and democratic choice.

Against the background of emerged threat the Georgian people face the most important choice: we should make a choice either to say no own national values or to further strengthen our commitment towards Georgian principles of democratic, freedom and dignity.

In coming days and weeks we will have to respond emerged challenges and threats.

But I, the President of Georgia, will not allow distancing even by a millimeter from our most fundamental values.

For that reason the parliamentary election will be held exactly when they are planned – May 21, as it was decided by the Georgian people. We will protect free and democratic choice of the Georgian people through holding the most fair and democratic elections in the history of our country.

To prove our commitment towards our freedom we will not allow stopping or slowing down of already launched programs aimed at employing people, improvement of living conditions and for defeating poverty in Georgia. We will not allow hampering of development of our country, because on this development depends welfare of our families.

Our position may differ on many issues, but when it comes to the Georgia’s security all Georgians are standing together. 

Today I call on the opposition leaders to have a joint position on fundamental issues of national security and territorial integrity. I offer them systematic meetings to provide them with updated information and to secure their maximum inclusion during this very important time for our history. I want to listen to their opinion and to accept their recommendations. In the face of external threats, I want our positions to be unified. We may not agree on everything, but I want to stand together for protection of our territorial integrity and national values.

I want to request you, my compatriots, the Georgian people, I want to call on you to keep firmness and calm and endurance, which is a traditional pattern for us.

Ester is looming and I want to wish all Georgians happiness and victory. I want you to think how to achieve total security and freedom. We will not stop struggle, there is a long way to go. But in this decisive moment for our history we should stand together in order not to lose what we have gained so far from our ancestors, in order not to give up our values and in order to continue progress and in order to not let anyone to throw us back to the times of chaos, criminals and statelessness, in order to continue our move including towards Russia and towards normalization of ties with Russia. We should stand together for protection of our freedom, security and homeland. God bless you and God bless Georgia. Thank you.