Saakashvili: Protests with ‘Irresponsible’ Remarks Hit Economy

Ongoing protests, accompanied by “irresponsible” statements by some opposition politicians have “seriously damaged” the Georgian economy in recent weeks, President Saakashvili said on May 15.

“[Inflow] of taxes depend on jobs; jobs depend on investments and when threats have been heard permanently – ‘we will blow up the country; block railway; block road; block airport; we will not let anyone in’ – I want each of us to think about what damage these statements by irresponsible politicians have brought to the pockets and budget of each Georgian citizen and each family and also to the future of each of us,” Saakashvili told a small group of Georgian journalists accompanying him in Jordan on a sideline of the World Economic Forum.

“Thanks God no one takes these [statements] seriously,” he continue. “But when month and a half ago it was said that ‘on April 9 everything will stop; everything will mess-up; in a week we will deteriorate everything; we will close down everything’ – whom are you closing everything for? For our own people? Are we returning back to those times when we closed down railway towards Russia [reference to blockade of a railway juncture in western Georgian town of Samtredia in 1990] and when we messed up the country? This is our contemporary history and some of those people who are making statement of this type now were also participating in those misfortunes, which were taking place at that time [in early 90s].”

“Thanks God our society of course has enough wisdom and patience and it is becoming clear that everything will take its place and it’s good that threats are no longer taken seriously by anyone. Although we have lost some time and serious economic damage has been inflicted in past several weeks, now we should gain momentum and return back to normal development,” Saakashvili added.

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