Kobakhidze: Georgia aims to restore trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said restoring trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, as well as between Georgians and Ossetians, remains a central objective of the government’s peace policy and its efforts to restore the country’s territorial integrity.

Speaking to journalists in the United States, Kobakhidze said certain public statements were undermining the government’s stated commitment to reconciliation.

“It is already clear that this is part of a deliberate process. These actions are clearly aimed at undermining efforts to restore trust.

“Our government and our country have a clearly stated policy: our goal is to restore trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, and between Georgians and Ossetians.

“There are serious challenges and problems. Both regions experienced war, and specific difficulties remain as a result. Our stated policy is aimed at rebuilding trust, which is one of the central pillars of our peace policy.

“This is precisely how we envision the restoration of our territorial integrity,” Kobakhidze said.

The prime minister accused certain individuals of making statements that directly contradict the government’s declared objective of restoring trust and pursuing peaceful reunification.

“The statements made by certain individuals directly undermine this clearly stated and non-negotiable objective of the government.

“These individuals are, in fact, foreign agents, and their statements are the result of instructions from certain forces. We must, of course, counter such efforts.

“We must do everything possible to restore trust and achieve the restoration of our territorial integrity through peaceful means,” Kobakhidze said.