The Daily Beat: 6 February
President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the parliament with her final speech, speaking of ongoing Russian occupation, the war in Ukraine, EU integration, and the importance of free and fair elections. President heavily criticized the ruling Georgian Dream party, briefly outlining all the foreign and security policy and democracy setbacks, also, for the first time mentioning Bidzina Ivanishvili and publicly requesting explanations for his underhanded moves. In her speech, Salome Zurabishvili suggested creating a “unity platform for Europe,” calling on the opposition parties to stop the confrontation and concentrate on the European agenda.
The ruling Georgian Dream party downplayed the president’s speech, saying nothing was interesting in it, further describing the speech as an address of a regular member of radical opposition. On the other hand, opposition representatives praised the president for conveying clear, courageous, and proper messages. In a Facebook post, imprisoned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili also reacted to the president’s address, saying, “Salome Zurabishvili repeated what I always say: the opposition parties must stop scolding each other and target the oligarch.”
MP from “People’s Power,” Sozar Subari, slammed the president’s address, shaming her immigration past. “Our ancestors did not run away. Our ancestors fought and kept Georgia safe here, not in Paris, Germany, and elsewhere. Once again, respect to them, but Georgia was saved here, and we must save it here,” said Sozar Subari, hinting at Salome Zurabishvili‘s ancestors who left Georgia after the Soviet occupation. “People’s Power” is an anti-Western and conservative offshoot of the Georgian Dream party that was behind the “Foreign Agent’s law.”
On Tuesday, parliamentary committees continued discussions on the new government program “For Building a European State” and held a joint hearing of ministerial candidates. Economy, Regional and Infrastructure, and Finance minister candidates attended today’s committee hearings. At the outset of the parliamentary hearing, Georgian Dream MP Nino Tsilosani requested the joint committee chair to force the opposition MPs to leave the room in case of “defamatory or insulting” comments or questions from their side.
In response to yesterday’s announcement of the State Security Service on the seizure of explosives shipment from Ukraine to Russia via Georgia, the Ukrainian Embassy in Tbilisi issued a statement urging the authorities to refrain from politicizing the case. “We express our interest and readiness for a constructive relationship with law enforcement agencies and other competent bodies of Georgia to objectively, impartially, and fully clarify all the case circumstances and determine its real organizers,” reads the Embassy statement.
