Saakashvili Speaks of ‘Putin’s New Plan to Subdue Georgia’
Although Georgia has not won the August war, Russia has won nothing either, President Saakashvili said while speaking on the war’s fourth anniversary on August 7.
In a televised address made from the Gori-based military academy in presence of military servicemen and family members Georgian soldiers fallen in the August war, Saakashvili said, that Russia had failed to achieve any of its major strategic objectives in respect of Georgia.
In his speech he also spoke about Russia’s "new plan" aimed at "subduing" Georgia from within.
"Russia had been preparing for this war for years," he said. "It’s eventual goal was to totally subdue Georgia, taking over Tbilisi and turning Georgia’s foreign policy course 180 degrees."
"There are often debates among various politicians about whether Georgia won or lost this war. How can we dare to say that we’ve won this war unless occupying forces are standing in several kilometers from here. But let’s ask a question: what Russia has won?" Saakashvili said and added that Russia failed to win anything because it’s major goal to conquer entire Georgia failed to materialize.
Russia had three key strategic goals when it invaded Georgia four years ago, he said.
He said that Russia’s first goal was to overthrow the Georgian government and "to physically liquidate" its leaders.
"They have failed. Georgia has the same government, so it [Russia] is not a winner," Saakashvili said.
Russia’s second objective, he said, was to undermine Georgia’s role as a transit route of energy resources. "Russia has failed it too, so the Russian occupying force is not a winner," he added.
Russia’s third strategic objective was to stop Georgia’s NATO and EU integration, Saakashvili said, adding that the Kremlin failed in achieving this goal too.
"We are very close to Association Agreement with the European Union, as well as close to visa-free, free trade [agreements] and to declaring perspective for EU-membership [for Georgia]," he said.
On NATO integration, he said that the next summit of the alliance in 2014 would be dedicated to enlargement and "Georgia has been declared with unanimous consensus as one of the major candidates." "So Russia is not a winner," he added.
"Soviet dream is still alive in Moscow, so now they have a new plan in respect of Georgia, which envisages breaking Georgia from within… Now they have decided that it will be better to subdue Georgia with the hands of Georgians themselves. This new plan of Putin is based on an assumption that Georgians will get tired of resisting,"
"Authors of this plan know Georgia’s history very well and they know that it is always possible to find a Georgian, who will agree to reconcile with the invader at the expanse of his personal well-being,"
He said that policy of appeasement with "a bear" would not work.
He also said that Georgia survived throughout its long history because it was always resisting to its enemies and because "we have never been measuring how strong our adversary was."
Saakashvili said the fact that Georgia’s national flag was still flying over Tbilisi "is irritating our invader and its local stooges."
"The Kremlin may have many dreams in respect of Georgia, but the Georgian people have their own plans, which are bypassing the Kremlin’s dreams," he said. "We will never return back into the past no matter how much they may dream about it in Moscow and no matter how much local mummified figures from the past may dream about it."
"No matter how much our invaders and their local stooges may dream about it the Soviet Union will not be restored," Saakashvili said.
"Very soon, in a short period of time for history, we will witness new Russia… which will reject imperial fantasies, Russia, which will start building democracy and we will start sorting out relations with such Russia," he said.
He said that "in a short period of time" Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be liberated from the Russian occupation.
"A chance will emerge for them [Abkhazia and South Ossetia] to decide their own fate and to choose their preferred development course; by that time we will be strong, developed, European state with strong social protection system, universally affordable healthcare system, with strong agriculture, with high rate of employment and full of economic opportunities," he said and added that it was Georgia’s plan, which would eventually lead to unification and victory.
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