Ex-President Saakashvili: Pop-up parties want me gone before Ivanishvili; let’s oust him first, then I might just walk away myself

“Our ambition is peace, but not at the cost of bowing down and apologising. We have no intention of driving anyone out of Abkhazia; we intend to enter in peace,” former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili declared at Tbilisi City Court during a hearing on the 7 November case.

Addressing the court, Saakashvili also weighed in on the detention of United National Movement member Gia Baramidze, branding the decision to arrest Baramidze for high treason “utterly laughable”.

“Imprisoning Gia Baramidze on charges of high treason is the greatest joke imaginable. Ivanishvili spits on our heads and covers us in filth, yet we sit idle. That gentle nightingale, Paata Burchuladze, is caged like a bird. At six in the morning, crows gather outside the prison, and at six sharp Paata Burchuladze has to listen to their cackling.

They tell us peace is paramount, and who is arguing against that? Peace is essential for the Georgian people. But if we are expected to tolerate corruption, crime, and total degradation, then that, supposedly, is what passes for ‘peace’. This is an unthinkable mockery of the Georgian people. Never, never, never! Georgia has never been the personal property of a single man. The country requires a strong, well-equipped army for its security. Our ambition is peace, but not on the back of grovelling apologies. We do not intend to expel anyone from Abkhazia; we intend to enter in peace. The Georgian people utterly despise traitors, which is why we must all rally together. Since 2012, Ivanishvili has sought to destroy the United National Movement, sometimes succeeding using money.

Today, new parties are popping up like mushrooms, declaring: ‘First let us get rid of Misha, and then Ivanishvili.’ Friends, now is not the time for infighting and settling scores. Let us stand together and remove this regime first. After that, perhaps I will step aside on my own, and then you can go break your own necks for all I care.

In 2012, the fortress was breached from within. I do not shirk responsibility for that; I should have acted differently, but certain individuals sold out and helped bring Bidzina to power,” Saakashvili stated.