Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen says Nika Gvaramia’s Abkhazia narrative part of “external forces” agenda

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said it was “becoming increasingly clear” that a “rootless agent network" had received a new assignment, referring to statements by opposition leader Nika Gvaramia.

Kaladze’s remarks came after Gvaramia has argued that nations must overcome historical traumas in order to move forward and develop, warning that traumatic memories can act as an obstacle to progress. Discussing the war in Abkhazia and broader regional issues, Gvaramia expressed admiration for Pashinyan, whom he credited with overcoming historical traumas in a short period of time.

“This is the fate of an agent, an assignment has been given, and they are trying to gradually introduce the ‘message’ into society that we, too, should give up territories”, Kaladze said.

According to Kaladze, Gvaramia’s statement was “treacherous and anti-state”.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that this stateless agent network, which is controlled by external forces, has received a new assignment and is delivering a new ‘message.’ We heard these joint statements yesterday, from Gvaramia and Samadashvili. They are talking about traumatic memory and challenges, saying that we must face all of this and speak openly about it. We heard treacherous and anti-Georgian statements. The challenge and problem that is the top priority for every Georgian is the territorial integrity of our country. We heard statements that overcoming this problem is impossible. An even more hostile and treacherous narrative was put forward when they said that Georgia is even more dangerous for Abkhazians than Russia is today and represents an even greater problem. Society will assess these messages more clearly”, he said.

Kaladze said the opposition was making anti-state statements and drawing inappropriate comparisons regarding the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

“Generally, their admiration for Pashinyan in relation to our problem and citing him as an example is even more serious. They were talking about how Pashinyan resolved the conflict. Gvaramia said that he handed over Karabakh. I cannot imagine how you could love your country and make comparisons of this kind. These are two completely different issues, so why bring up Pashinyan’s case and express admiration for Pashinyan in relation to a problem that is precious and extremely important to every Georgian, the territorial integrity of our country? But this is the fate of an agent, an assignment has been given, and they are gradually trying to introduce the message into society that we, too, should give up our territories. These are treacherous, hostile statements and an attempt to distort history. It is an attempt to once again present reality and the challenges to society incorrectly. Through our policies and the steps we take, we must first and foremost strengthen our country, and everything must be done to ensure that the territories are restored peacefully”, Kaladze continued.

He added that no Georgian who loves their homeland would abandon the country’s unification as its fundamental value.

“I want to tell you one thing, and everyone must understand this, both the forces outside the country and the agents and stateless people inside it: the pain and tragedies we experienced in the 1990s are what unites the Georgian nation. If you stop any Georgian today and ask them what their main value is, everyone will tell you that it is territorial integrity and overcoming the challenge and problem related to the territorial integrity of our country. No external force, no internal agent network, and no stateless people will ever see Georgians renounce their fundamental value”, he said.

Kaladze also responded to a journalist’s question about a recent statement on the same issue by Giorgi Baramidze, one of the leaders of the United National Movement, saying it was also part of messages coming from external forces.

“Do not think that this statement was accidental either. It is part of the overall context we have been hearing over the past few days. Do you think Samadashvili or Gvaramia came out and made these hostile and anti-state statements entirely on their own? They are not that foolish, of course. Baramidze’s statement, as well as the statements we have heard, are part of the messages coming from external forces. This country is important to them only insofar as they can use it to pursue their interests. No one is thinking about Georgians or the people living here. They need our country solely to pursue various interests through Georgia and use it for their own purposes”, Kaladze concluded.