“Upon gaining independence, we started building a free country. However, there is still a way to go from independence to freedom,” said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in his Independence Day speech.
The PM accentuated that on 26th May 1918, Georgians firmly and loudly, for the whole world to hear, said that “we want to stand as a nation among other nations again.”
Here is Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s speech in full:
“Happy Independence Day to you all! Happy May 26!
Citizens of our country within or outside Georgia are celebrating a truly special event in our history and for all of us – Independence Day of Georgia – together with our true friends and partners. 105 years have passed since the authorities of the First Republic of Georgia declared the independence of regained statehood.
Happy Independence Day to all those, who associate the present day and freedom of homeland with national pride, personal dignity and happiness! I congratulate this day to our brothers and sisters, living on the temporarily occupied territories – our Abkhaz and Ossetian compatriots with special warmth.
I particularly congratulate our praiseworthy recruits, who have given an oath of dedication to homeland on this special day.
I also congratulate our foreign friends, strategic partners, who are celebrating Independence Day with us today. Their support is invaluable to us.
Dear friends, today we remember with pride all those who passed on the love of freedom from generation to generation; Once again we bow before the bright memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the motherland.
On 26th May 1918, Georgians firmly and loudly, for the whole world to hear, said that we want to “stand as a nation among other nations” again.
Although the first independence was short-lived, it turned out to be of fundamental importance for our further development.
In this short time, the Georgian people and their government created the foundations of a democratic, European state based on Western values, whose spirit and constitution were highly progressive even by today’s European standards.
The national independence and statehood that was finally restored in 1991 was based on the same Constitution and its values; The main goal of our country was to build a European state. In this way, in our time, we renewed the movement towards the supreme goal of all generations – towards the freedom of each citizen, the Georgian people as a whole, Georgia as a country.
Dear Friends, upon gaining independence, we started building a free country. However, there is still a way to go from independence to freedom. Independence means freedom from others, while freedom, as the great Ilia Chavchavadze teaches us, means when we are masters of our own destiny; This means building one’s own national, unique, independent path; Freedom implies a sovereign state that implements domestic and foreign policy only in the best interests of its own people, a state where the political and social rights of each citizen are guaranteed, the rule of law for the protection of eternal values and national interests; freedom implies an environment where the strength of each family – the main task of the government and, at the same time, is the basis of the state’s strength; Freedom implies a society that aspires not only to territorial but also to unity of values and substance, where our past, present and future meet.
The ideal of freedom at all stages of history was the main determinant of our millennia-old culture, public life, daily life of Georgians. We are an ancient Christian country, where the apostles of Jesus Christ preached the word of God. For centuries, our development has been conditioned by biblical values, among which freedom is a supreme virtue. Georgia is a country of heroes. We are the country of King Vakhtang V Gorgasli, we are the country of King David IV Agmashenebeli, we are the country of King Tamar, we are the country of King Erekle II, and that is why freedom has a special value for us. “It is way better to die in search of freedom, rather than to evolve in slavery” – these words of King Erekle II from the poem of Great Akaki should be a guide for every Georgian and first of all for the government, for everyone, for whom freedom is the foundation of personal dignity and national pride. For our great ancestors, freedom was a goal to be achieved through constant struggle and was never taken for granted. Even today, despite the fact that Georgia is a politically independent country, our freedom and sovereignty, unfortunately, have many internal and external, visible or hidden enemies. Therefore, our freedom and sovereignty need to be strengthened, which requires the greatest efforts and this is our obligation.
The first enemy of freedom is war. Today, our brotherly Ukrainian people are making huge sacrifices to protect their freedom in the brutal war started by Russia. I once again express my support towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, I wish this war to end quickly and to reach peace, reconciliation and freedom.
Dear Friends, today, when the threat of nuclear war is most acute in history, our primary responsibility and obligation is to maintain and consolidate peace, protect our people and save our country. As a result of the Peace Policy pursued by the Government of Georgia and irrespective of the many destructive attempts of ill-wishers, internal and external enemies, Georgia remains an oasis of peace and stability in the region. And knowing well the price of war and the value of peace, as long as there is even the slightest danger to our country, to our people, we will not stop to deliver on this commitment.
Full-fledged freedom for us, first of all, means the unity of our country. Today, if there is any shadow over the celebration of our freedom, it is the temporary occupation of our territories by Russia. But I strongly believe that unity is the way to freedom for Georgians, Abkhazians, Ossetians and all citizens living on this land.
It is our wish that each citizen, including the population living in the territories currently occupied by Russia, should equally benefit from the progress and development achieved by Georgia. Dear Friends, we are well aware that there is no alternative to restoring peace and trust. I believe in our common future, I believe that only through peaceful efforts based on mutual understanding and respect, we will together create a better tomorrow for our children, future generations of Abkhazians, Ossetians and Georgians.
Poverty and unemployment are enemies of freedom. That is why, from the first day of coming to power, we have been working for economic revival and social justice. On this path, despite a number of global challenges, we have achieved significant progress, visible results and we will continue to work until we completely defeat poverty and unemployment, and ensure the strength and well-being of each citizen, each family.
Deception and desinformation are enemies of freedom. As our wise Patriarch states, one can lose his freedom if deceived by false freedom. In the modern age, when the spread of fake news, propaganda of pseudo-values is the biggest challenge for all humanity, and when evil forces try to destroy traditional and family values, try to replace facts with perceptions, sell lies as a reality. The truth remains our only tool to strengthen freedom. Accordingly, building a free, united, strong state based only on the highest values, peace, prosperity and truth should become our common goal and national idea. In recent years, with the national and reasonable policy of our government, we have achieved many tangible successes, which bring us closer to this great goal every day. The large-scale reforms we have also carried out to ensure the rule of law and democracy, economic progress and social justice, the building of state institutions and the strengthening of public institutions rightly deserve the recognition of impartial, objective evaluators around the world.
Our success stories on the road to European integration are particularly impressive. I am proud that during my tenure as Prime Minister, I had the honor of signing the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. As a result, Georgia enjoys free trade and visa-free travel arrangement with the European Union today.
Last year, we filed an Application for the accession into the European Union and received a European Perspective from the EU, which was truly a historic decision. All this is the result of the work of our government in the last ten years, it is our achievement. But we will continue to spare no effort so that the country receives the status of an EU Candidate Country at the end of the year, which will mark the beginning of a new stage of integration into the European Union.
In today’s most difficult geopolitical situation, we – the Georgian government and the Georgian people – expect from Europe the only correct and fair decision, the recognition of Georgia’s centuries-old aspiration, the united efforts of our government and people – granting the status of a candidate for the European Union. A fair recognition of our merits by Europe will be a historic step that will help end polarization in the country, strengthen peace and stability, and further advance our country.
My dear ones, over the millennia, mighty empires have emerged on the stage of history, of which only names of some remain today. Our small country located in the epicenter of the battles between the empires, our small but invincible and unbroken Georgian nation, the small but proud and freedom-loving Georgian people for centuries with daily work, constant striving for knowledge and development, patience at the right time, dedicated struggle at the right time, and most importantly, faith in the Lord and with love of the motherland, he continuously created one of the amazing, exciting and proud heroic stories among the histories of the ancient nations of the world.
To continue this history, to pass on the legacy of our great ancestors to our children and to fulfill the dream of many generations of Georgians, it is up to us today to take decisive steps. On May 26, we feel most strongly that we are all the continuation of the history of our homeland, creators of its present, its unity and strength. In this process, the role of each of you, every citizen living on this land, is unique and irreplaceable.
I want to once again thank our people, every citizen of our country. Once again, I congratulate you on the Independence Day of Georgia, I wish peace, prosperity, victory and reunification to our homeland.
God be our protector!”
