Saakashvili Speaks of War, Economy, Democracy

Georgia went through “aggression of imperialism,” was hit by economic difficulties caused by the global financial crisis and passed test in democracy in 2008, President Saakashvili said in a New Year address to the nation.

The pre-recorded address, which lasted over fifteen minutes, was aired by the national television stations shortly before the midnight on December 31, just before an address by Ilia II, the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The address was recorded in Georgia’s second largest city of Kutaisi on December 30. The President was speaking on the background of newly rehabilitated and illuminated old part of Kutaisi.

‘Our Struggle Continues’

“The world has faced absolutely new political reality, when the largest country violated the world political order through the most aggressive means; crush under its feet the international law and for the first time after the World War II attempted to redraw Europe’s political borders through use of force,” he said.

He said that 2008 was the year of reemerging confrontation not only between individual states, but between the ideologies as well.

Saakashvili said that while democracy and human rights “are guiding values for the entire civilized world,” Russia was guided by the opposite values.

“The force, which has openly confronted these values established by the civilized mankind, is in the leadership of our neighboring country – a former superpower,” Saakashvili said. “[This force] has declared that the world should be divided into empires and spheres of their influence; the people should be ruled under the conditions of dictatorship; that small states have no right for free choice.”

He said that Georgia had emerged “in the epicenter of this [ideological] confrontation against our will and our desire.”

“Georgia has become the first target of imperialism and ideology of the past, because our country is a symbol of free choice and democratic reforms and an unprecedented example of success of civilized vision; because we can not make a choice in favor of tyranny,” he said.

He said that tens of thousands of civilians were forced out of their homes as a result of “inhuman ethnic cleansing” and 166 Georgian soldiers, 16 policemen and 220 civilians had been killed. He also said that Georgia was attacked by 80,000-strong army, thousands of armored vehicles and 200 warplanes “from seven different directions.”

“A total aggression, which was well-planned in advance, was carried out with an eventual goal to capture Tbilisi and to install puppet government,” Saakashvili said.

He said that despite this large-scale aggression, Georgia had demonstrated that it “is impossible to kneel us down.” “We have withstood the empire’s aggression,” he added.
 
“The war really was not our choice; even some of our friends thought that Georgia should have showed patience in the face of the empire’s intervention and should not have even moved its hand for the protection of its independence. I do not want to engage in polemics with anyone, but I will tell you, that I, as the President of Georgia, simply had no right to act like this. Georgia’s entire history is struggle for freedom and independence; this struggle has always been unequal and sometimes hopeless, but we have never given up our freedom and dignity and for that very same reason we managed to maintain our statehood and national identity and our faith,” Saakashvili said.

“Our struggle will continue unless the last occupant leaves the Georgia’s holy soil,” he added.

‘We are Closer to NATO’

“Despite many efforts of our adversary, today Georgia is closer to NATO membership, than it was before the launch of [Russian] intervention,” he continued. “The entire North Atlantic Alliance is declaring loudly, that Georgia will become the NATO member; it was impossible to even dream about it previously.”

‘Strategic Alliance with the U.S.’

Saakashvili said that “in next few days” Georgia would sign “a Charter on strategic alliance with the United States.”

“A new stage is beginning for Georgia’s international relations by signing of this agreement,” he said. “Georgia has never before been the world’s strongest state’s equal strategic ally. This agreement, of course, won’t neutralize all the short-term threats; but in a long-term perspective it will turn Georgia into the state of different quality.”

“With this Charter we are actually moving from the epoch of the Georgievsk Treaty [an agreement signed in 1783 under which eastern Georgia was becoming the Russian empire’s protectorate].”

‘I Promise we will Overcome Economic Hardship’

He said 2008 had been a difficult year not only for Georgia, but for rest of the world too. Saakashvili said that the global financial crisis had also hit Georgia.

“Although temporarily, but jobs are anyway being lost and people are in hardship,” Saakashvili said. “Like in rest of the world, in Georgia too we are facing a sharp economic recession, economic slowdown, but unlike many other states, we are managing to protect Georgia from economic crisis. The Georgian economy has not entered into the phase, which is called full-scale economic crisis… We have undertaken all the necessary measures to prevent this economic slowdown to grow into full-scale economic crisis.”

He said that financial sector in Georgia and the national currency remained stable and inflation was under control “with annual inflation not exceeding 6%.”

Saakashvili said that despite economic difficulties the government was increasing social spending and reducing taxes.

“As far as the global economic crisis is on, neither I nor any other member of the government have a task more important than to help our economy withstand this storm,” he continued. “I, as the President of this country, am responsible before you that we will be able to protect Georgia from the global economic crisis… I, on behalf of myself and the entire government, promise you that Georgia will overcome this economic hardship and we will return back to the previous levels of economic growth.

‘Today Georgia has Stronger Democracy’

In his address Saakashvili said that 2008 was “a test for young Georgian democracy” with two early elections – parliamentary and presidential – and local elections in Adjara held in 2008.

“Today the Georgian democracy is stronger, than it was a year ago; today level of cooperation between the opposition and the authorities is higher than it was a year ago,” he said. “We will continue to further strengthen our democracy.”

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