Giorgi Gakharia, the leader of the Gakharia for Georgia party and former Prime Minister, on Monday demanded that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party and its founder, explain his plans for restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity amid his pledges ahead of the October 26 general elections.
Gakharia’s comments come as the country remains divided by the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), with no changes in the positions of Russia or the proxy regimes in these areas.
At a press briefing, Gakharia stressed that Russia has not signaled any intention to withdraw its troops from Georgian territory or to reconsider its recognition of the occupied regions’ “independence”. “Russia’s position is unchanged – the Russian Federation is not going to withdraw its troops from the territory of Georgia nor call for the recognition of the occupied territories,” Gakharia said.
Gakharia criticized Ivanishvili’s recent election campaign, which he said had focused on demands for an apology from Georgian citizens without clarity on why or to whom the apology is directed. Moreover, Gakharia pointed out that Ivanishvili was seeking a constitutional majority in parliament to address the issue of territorial integrity, yet has not provided any specifics on how he intended to achieve this.
“For weeks, Ivanishvili has been demanding an apology from the people of Georgia and a constitutional majority after the elections. Yet, he provides no explanation as to how he plans to restore Georgia’s territorial integrity or what form this will take,” Gakharia said. He also noted the lack of transparency, arguing that the restoration of territorial integrity should not be a matter discussed behind closed doors just weeks before an election.
In the midst of the election campaign, Gakharia highlighted the “alarming absence” of a strong response from the Georgian government to recent statements by the Russian Foreign Minister at the United Nations, where Moscow reaffirmed its unchanged position on the occupied territories. “While the Russian Foreign Minister openly asserts that nothing has changed and their troops will remain in Georgia, our government has not issued any official statement,” Gakharia remarked. He criticized the silence from Georgia’s Foreign Minister on the issue, leaving local-level politicians to provide insufficient responses.
Gakharia stressed that restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity was a matter of national importance for all citizens, warning that the government’s handling of the issue could harm Georgia’s sovereignty and international standing. He expressed concern about the current government’s distancing from Western allies and the potential threat to Georgia’s policy of non-recognition of the occupied regions’ independence.
Gakharia called on Ivanishvili to clarify his position and present a concrete plan. “Ivanishvili talks about peace and the protection of Georgia’s sovereignty, but he must publicly answer the key questions: Under what conditions and in what form does he envision restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity? How does he plan to achieve this, especially given that Russia’s stance remains unchanged?”
Gakharia concluded by urging Ivanishvili to respect the citizens of Georgia by answering these questions, cautioning that failure to do so could undermine public trust and Georgia’s prospects for territorial restoration.
