GD Faction Chair condemns former gov’t for signing resolution that blames Georgia for starting military hostilities on August 7

Mamuka Mdinaradze, Chairman of the Georgian Dream (GD) faction in the parliament, paid tribute to heroes who died for Georgia’s territorial integrity in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

Speaking at the Mukhatgverdi Brothers Cemetery, Mamuka Mdinaradze emphasized that with the evidence collected by the GD party, Georgia won the lawsuits against Russia in the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Hague International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mdinaradze said that Russia invaded Georgia, killed Georgian heroes and destroyed evidence of the war crimes. The GD-led government obtained parts of Iskander missiles and submitted them to the court, proving Georgia’s truth in the war.

According to Mdinaradze, the resolution mentions August 7 as the date to blame Georgia for the launch of military hostilities. The Georgian Dream objected to this date in the ICC and ECHR.

“The resolution of the Council of Europe read the Russian occupying regime’s position, and the delegation of the previous United National Movement (UNM) government had signed it. This is treason,” he said, remarking on the condolences received by Georgia from international partners on August 7.

The GD Chair went on to say that Russia was first mentioned in the resolution on August 8, and the Georgian government fought over the dates for many years.

“It turns out that until 2014 August 8 was the day when we should pay tribute to our dead, and then a new narrative emerged, creating new risks. Russia did not merely invade on August 7; the war began on the 5th and 6th, with the exchange of fire. And why do you bring up August 7? Wasn’t there a war on August 5 and 6 when our men were wounded? It is the Russian version that the Georgian military shelled Tskhinvali on August 7,” Mamuka Mdinaradze stated.