Giorgi Gakharia, the former Prime Minister of Georgia and current leader of the opposition For Georgia party, on Thursday accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of creating conditions for the annexation of the occupied Abkhazia region by Russia.
Gakharia’s claims come amid heightened tensions over a recently passed law in the Russian-occupied region, which he argues could facilitate increased Russian control over the region.
In a statement, Gakharia criticized the Georgian government for what he described as a series of actions that would “enable” the Kremlin to annex the region.
He pointed to the government’s use of the phrase “sorry” to the population currently living in the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region during the pre-election campaign ahead of the October 26 general elections, which Gakharia said was later used by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to justify its claims that Georgia started the 2008 war.
He also criticized Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for accusing Georgia of starting the 2008 conflict and promising to prosecute “war criminals”, in reference to the United National Movement party.
“During the pre-election period, the Georgian Dream party laid the legal and moral foundation for the actions that Russia is now taking,” Gakharia said.
He also said that the ruling party had hoped to secure a constitutional majority in the elections, which would allow it to “ban” the UNM and “affiliated parties” as it had promised, and Russia “seemed dissatisfied” with the GD’s simple majority.
The de facto Abkhaz parliament on Wednesday approved a bill on “multifunctional complexes” that offers incentives for Russian investors, including an exemption from value-added tax (VAT) until the corresponding amount of investment is recovered or for up to eight years. The “law” also allows the establishment of duty-free operations and the opening of a Bank of Russia branch in the occupied region of Abkhazia.
The Abkhazian authorities have endorsed the bill, saying it will promote economic development and improve the welfare of the local population. However, critics, including local politicians, have raised concerns that the legislation could allow Russian oligarchs to dominate Abkhazian business, potentially leading to higher costs and economic dependency on Russia.
