President Kavelashvili: Under GD leadership, we exposed that Russia occupied two Georgian territories and committed war crimes

“Georgia is both morally and legally in the right regarding Russia. We exposed that Russia is the perpetrator of the occupation of our territories and that it committed crimes against us,” stated President of Georgia Mikheil Kavelashvili.

He added that the government of the time, which was responsible before the public, committed a reckless act.

“Why do they ask this question: ‘Who started the war?’ Three days ago, the Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister, and I explained, setting out in detail and with facts that in every forum, in international institutions, at the Hague, and in Strasbourg, we brought legal disputes against Russia, and the Georgian state emerged victorious everywhere under the leadership of Georgian Dream. We exposed that Russia is the perpetrator of the occupation of our territories and that it committed crimes against us. This is a recognised fact, a given, a reality; under the norms of international law, it is known to all that two of our territories are occupied by the Russian Federation and that it committed crimes. Georgia is morally and legally in the right regarding Russia.

Do you know how they wish to frame the issue? As though we are defending Russia’s interests and speaking on behalf of the Russian people. Back then, we had a government responsible to its own people, yet they committed a reckless act. They manufactured this debate over whether Russia or Georgia started the war, precisely to suppress these questions and prevent the public from learning the truth. This is the tragedy: they do not want the Georgian people to know the complete truth about what the government of that time committed. The current government has far greater moral authority to declare a mobilisation, assemble our much stronger army, and begin reclaiming our territories.

We are in the right and possess the moral authority, but what is the reality, and what might such an action lead to? When you are incapable of grasping this, or when you do know, but are merely carrying out an assignment, how could we have started a war on our own territory? They answer this themselves; Saakashvili did something worse, and I quote: ‘Yes, I made the decision to restore constitutional order and enter Tskhinvali.’ What does the resolution state? That full-scale military and combat operations were initiated by the Georgian side, by Saakashvili’s government, and they signed this document themselves.

The United National Movement carried this out and signed off on initiating full-scale military operations in the Tskhinvali region, which drew a retaliatory response from the Russian Federation. The United National Movement signed this document; it is a fact, and you cannot escape it,” declared Kavelashvili.