“Following yesterday’s events, the importance of opposition unity has once again become painfully clear. We must put an end to travelling abroad separately. This isn’t a matter of personal ambition, but a crucial step towards safeguarding our country, former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili said on social media.

Saakashvili emphasised that travelling separately leaves a negative impression on European and American allies.

“We all need to stand together and present a united front. Going abroad separately creates a poor impression among our friends in Europe and America. We must stop tearing each other apart on Georgian opposition TV channels. Some opposition groups use money to promote themselves and criticise others, but this only harms our collective cause. We must forget old grievances, who held which position and when, and focus solely on Ivanishvili.

Yesterday, a TV presenter claimed I called other opposition members ‘sellouts’. That is a complete lie. Firstly, those aren’t my words, and secondly, while I may have reservations about past alliances or the influence of bad actors, that no longer matters. Our shared goal aligns now. We must join hands and march forward until victory. Strength is in unity,” Saakashvili wrote.

Georgia’s now jailed ex-President stated yesterday that, “There is no longer one Georgia. There are two civilisationally divided Georgias. Deep incompatibility and civil conflict persist; we must stop pretending we are one.”