MP Irakli Kadagishvili: Our government allowed no one to repeat 2008 tragedy; Georgia maintaining peace is ‘pro-Russian’ for them

“There were immense efforts to embroil Georgia in the Russia–Ukraine war in one form or another. These calls came from the very same forces alongside whom, after the 2008 war, Mikheil Saakashvili stood at the podium declaring he was ready to meet and talk with Vladimir Putin without any preconditions,” stated MP Irakli Kadagishvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Self-Governance.

According to Kadagishvili, these forces hold a double standard towards Putin, and their local agents act accordingly.

“Neither in 2008 nor today are their actions driven by Georgia’s national interests; rather, they were and remain dictated by foreign orders. Georgia, as their homeland, is a secondary concern. Their foreign patrons’ objective is to reinstate the United National Movement in power for one single reason: these individuals will execute their demands to the letter.

The Georgian government refused to allow the country to become a second front in any shape or form. Naturally, replacing the Georgian government remains one of their targets. To achieve this task, they must employ precisely the rhetoric they are instructed to use, aligning with Western attitudes towards Russia. All of this is driven by external directives, not by what Georgia needs or what would happen to the country in the event of war. To them, that is secondary.

They were ready to talk with Putin without preconditions, standing at the border and inviting Russian tourists and businesspeople into the country. Back then, supporters of this policy included Elene Khoshtaria, Zura Japaridze, and others. None of that seems to count today because the orders have changed. Their goal was to turn this country into a second front line; having failed, they now seek to create a situation where stability cannot be maintained.

In 2008, Mikheil Saakashvili was utterly terrified. He tried everything to curry favour with Russia and Putin, handing over strategic assets, some for a pittance, in an effort to offer Russia additional compensation. When you act not in the country’s interests but out of the opportunistic motives of certain forces, the country suffers a devastating blow.

Georgia has managed to safeguard its national interests. Under our government, not a single strategic asset has been alienated, least of all to Russia. Despite destructive domestic and foreign political interference, Georgia maintained peace and drove economic growth during a time of war. These ‘heroes’ of 2008 are fighting Georgia with the same objective: to provoke confrontation and conflict with Russia. They believe this might pave their way back to power. Saakashvili managed to hang on to power with Russia’s acquiescence, which was directly demonstrated by standing at the border and inviting them in. Putin did not even deem a meeting with Saakashvili necessary, yet there Saakashvili was, standing at the border extending invitations to Russian tourists and businesses.

We are not a pro-Russian government; we are the government that prevented Russia, and everyone else, from repeating the 2008 tragedy in Georgia, whether through direct Russian aggression or external incitement. The fact that Georgia is preserving peace is, in their eyes, ‘pro-Russian.’ Had the disaster of 2008 befallen us again, would we then be a patriotic country in their estimation? These people are politicians suffering from intellectual degradation,” declared Kadagishvili.