Georgia’s ruling party official: Georgia has friends and partners, but only Georgian people decide its fate

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in Parliament, said on Tuesday that Georgia has friends and partners, but only the Georgian people have the right to determine the country’s fate.

Speaking at a plenary session of Parliament, Kirtskhalia said that when making decisions, the key question would not be whether they are welcomed abroad, but what impact they would have on Georgia.

“Several days ago, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed world leaders from the highest tribune of the UN General Assembly.

Kobakhidze paid particular attention to our country’s main national objective - the peaceful restoration of territorial integrity. His appeal to our Abkhaz and Ossetian fellow citizens once again confirms that our path is dialogue, reconciliation, restoring trust and bringing each other back together”, he said.

“Unfortunately, we know the price of war very well. Therefore, when we speak about peace, this is neither a political slogan nor a sign of weakness before anyone. On the contrary, preserving peace in today’s difficult and rapidly changing world requires strength, principles and wisdom”, Kirtskhalia noted.

He emphasised that Georgia would cooperate with everyone who recognises the country as an independent and sovereign state and respects the choice of the Georgian people.

“Georgia has friends and partners, but only the Georgian people have the right to decide the country’s fate. This principle does not change depending on where political pressure comes from, what interests someone may have in the region, or what the political climate is in a particular capital at a given time”, he said.

“Under the leadership of Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, our political team received a clear mandate from the Georgian people from the very beginning: the state must serve its own country; the government must safeguard peace; and decisions must be made in accordance with Georgia’s national interests, rather than foreign interests. That mandate remains in force today. We will not deviate from this path. Neither external pressure, nor domestic political radicalism, nor those who constantly view Georgian politics through the prism of other people’s interests and agendas will make us change course”, Kirtskhalia continued.

He said this was precisely where the political difference lay between the Georgian Dream and those who call themselves politicians but place an agenda dictated from abroad above Georgia’s interests.

“It is our responsibility not to allow anyone to use our country to test their own political scenarios at the expense of peace. It is our responsibility to pass on to future generations not a Georgia fragmented and divided by war, but a strong, developed and united country”, the official said.

“Whoever tries to impose their own agenda on Georgia, regardless of where the pressure comes from or what political price may come with defending our position, Georgia’s national interest cannot become a subject of compromise for us. Therefore, when making each decision, the key question will not be who outside the country approves of our decision, but what it will bring to Georgia”, Kirtskhalia concluded.