PM Speaks of Russian Flights, President Zurabishvili, ex-President Saakashvili
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili discussed a number of issues with journalists after the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of new apartment buildings for internally displaced persons, including the resumption of direct flights with Russia, approval of the Georgian president’s visit to Brussels, and the European Court of Human Rights’ decision on the Saakashvili case.
Resumption of direct flights with Russia
Responding to the opposition’s criticism of the resumption of direct flights with Russia, PM Garibashvili said that “an absolutely bankrupt and unsuccessful opposition is applying double standards.” He also noted that opposition politicians had previously “openly lobbied” for the resumption of direct flights with Russia, saying that “it is necessary to develop trade relations with Russia.” “Today, these people are deceiving and insulting our society… what was permissible before is now inadmissible for them, where is the logic?” he asked.
The Prime Minister said that after the 2008 August war, the previous government did not carry out any campaign to impose sanctions or restrictions, and “today, they say that since there is a war in Ukraine, we should stop everything, worsen the condition of our people and not think about the economy and trade.”
He also mentioned the West’s inaction in this regard, saying that “the Western countries – after our war, when our Georgian boys died and we shed blood, and not only in Georgia, but in NATO missions, in Afghanistan, in Iraq – no one has changed their policy toward Russia.” “I care about the interests of our country and let me repeat – if Ukraine’s war is war [for our allies], why wasn’t ours?!?”
Asked whether the resumption of direct flights with Russia will have a negative impact on the relations between Georgia and the EU, the Prime Minister replied that “this is a wrong interpretation and a wrong connection.” He emphasized that the Georgian government is doing everything right and taking the right steps. “We are not an EU member state. In order to obey the EU member states and their policies, we should be an EU member state. Today we are not an EU member state. It will take years.”
After that, Irakli Garibashvili focused his attention on the steps taken by the Georgian Dream government in the direction of European integration, saying that “if anyone has done anything in the last 10 or 30 years, it is Georgian Dream.”
“My goal is to save and protect our country, as well as to protect the interests of our country and our people,” the Prime Minister said, adding that “we, our government, managed to maintain and strengthen peace with our correct, pragmatic policies. Learn the lessons how did we it:”
The Prime Minister reiterated that “not a single sanctioned airline, not a single sanctioned aircraft will fly in Georgia.”
Government will approve President’s visit to Brussels
PM Garibashvili also responded to the criticism voiced by the Georgian presidential administration, saying that while it took very little time for the Georgian government to agree to the resumption of direct flights with Russia, President Salome Zurabishvili had not yet received approval from the Georgian government for her planned visit to Brussels on May 31. The Prime Minister said that President Zurabishvili’s request will be approved, adding that “these are technical issues that the administrations decide among themselves. I think it is inappropriate to make this public and it does not deserve so much attention.”
Speculation that the government may have rejected the President’s visit to Brussels emerged after Georgian Dream leader Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters on May 18 that the ruling team feared that the President’s visit to Brussels and her statements to the European Parliament would “damage our bid for candidate status.”
European Court’s decision on Mikheil Saakashvili
Prime Minister Garibashvili also reacted to the recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights to reject a request for an interim measure to transfer imprisoned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili to Warsaw for medical treatment. Garibashvili said that the court’s decision was “a classic example” of the “anti-state” campaign being waged by the opposition and critical media.
“Since the day of Saakashvili’s entry, after we put him in prison, an unrestrained, anti-national, anti-state campaign began, that he was dying, that we were poisoning him, that we were causing him thousands of problems, but he is still alive,” he said, adding: “the Strasbourg court decided that everything our authorities, our government, the prison system and the clinic where Saakashvili is being treated are doing, everything that has been done is correct.”
Also Read:
- 19/05/2023 – Protests Accompany First Direct Flight from Moscow to Tbilisi
- 16/05/2023 News – EU on Georgia’s Decision to Issue Permit for Direct Flights with Russia: “This is Very Regrettable”
- 12/05/2023 – US State Department Spokesperson Does not Exclude Sanctioning Companies at Georgian Airports Following Lifting of Flight Ban by Russia
- 11/05/2023 – “This is Positive and Welcome”-PM on Restoration of Visa-Free Travel and Flights to Russia
- 11/05/2023 – U.S. Ambassador on Flights: Georgia doesn’t have to become dependent on Russia again
- 10/05/2023 – “Another Russian Provocation!” – President on Russia’s Abolition of Visa Regime to Georgia
