GD’s Ionatamishvili: Opposition attack on Georgian-Abkhazian reconciliation attempts shows political field must be cleansed

“The coordinated attack of the radical opposition to an attempt to restore Georgian-Abkhaz relations demonstrated that Georgia would remain in constant political turbulence unless the political field is cleansed of stateless agents,” the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority member Rati Ionatamishvili said.

Ionatamishvili made the remarks in a social media post concerning the shipment of fuel from Georgia to the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region.

According to him, several fuel tankers were sent to Abkhazia by private businesses “in full compliance with Georgia’s sovereignty and legislation.”

“During the day, it became known that businesses had delivered several tankers of fuel to Abkhazia. Clearly, this was done in full compliance with Georgia’s sovereignty and legislation. The shipment amounted to 3,000 tons, or several trucks.

And what happened after that? Soon, all the agents gathered and started spreading the message that this cargo was allegedly intended for the Russian military, declaring Georgia, their formal homeland, an accomplice in the war.

Annual fuel consumption in Russia exceeds 200 million tons, while the amount of fuel sent by businesses to Abkhazia was 3,000 tons – 0.001% of Russia’s consumption. Is it reasonable to talk about these few tankers being intended to supply Russia? Obviously, it’s ridiculous, but when you’re an agent and are instructed to make such an absurd claim, you have to do it without saying a word,” he said.

He further accused the opposition of deliberately seeking to undermine efforts aimed at restoring trust between Georgians and Abkhaz and preventing reconciliation.

“Since these people are constantly tasked with destabilizing our country, creating disorder and chaos, they clearly cannot accept any humanitarian steps by the government that contribute to restoring trust between Georgians and Abkhaz and advancing the reconciliation process,” Ionatamishvili said.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, speaking at a government administration briefing, previously said that the government itself had not delivered fuel to Abkhazia, but that the shipment had been made by private businesses. “If we can ease the situation of the people living in Abkhazia, we will do that as well, provided it is within the Law on Occupied Territories,” Kobakhidze said.