Medvedev’s claims on possible joining of Georgian regions “absolutely unacceptable” – ruling party MP

Mikheil Sarjveladze, an MP in the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday responded to the claims by Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian President and current Deputy Secretary of the country’s Security Council, on Moscow’s plans to join Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions “in case of valid reasons”, and stressed such statements were “absolutely unacceptable and illegitimate”. 

 

“I want to say on behalf of the Georgian Government that statements of this type – that are incompatible with the principle of territorial integrity of Georgia – are categorically unacceptable, ” said Sarjveladze, who chairs the Human Rights Committee in the Parliament. 

 

He highlighted Georgia’s territorial integrity had been recognized by the “entire civilized international community”, and Tbilisi’s position in this direction was “unwavering and unequivocal”. 

 

“This means that any statement that is inconsistent, incompatible with the priority of Georgia’s territorial integrity is categorically unacceptable and illegitimate. Therefore, this is clearly a categorically unacceptable statement that we have heard from the representative of the state that has occupied the territories of Georgia”, Sarjveladze said, adding the country would “never tolerate” the occupation of its lands and continue to fight for their “peaceful reintegration”.

 

In his comments for Argument in Fact media, Medvedev claimed the West “continues its efforts” to “escalate the situation” by “dragging Georgia” into Moscow’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, encouraged “Russophobic” attitudes among Georgians, and reiterated its pledge on Tbilisi’s joining NATO. 

 

He highlighted the West did not “learn any lessons” even after the 2008 conflict, and was now waging a “bloody war” against Mocow with the hands of Kyiv, before threatening to join the Georgian regions if “valid reasons” were present.