Georgian Parliament’s First Vice Speaker, Gia Volski, stated that ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s goal was and continues to be to amass vast resources and control the country using the means he practised until 2012.

Vice Speaker claims that Giuli Alasania’s [Mikheil Saakashvili’s mother] comments and evaluation show that the Russian factor is not secondary to the National Movement.

“Russia had a pretty substantial impact in 2008, and even in 2003, when Saakashvili took office. Russia’s geopolitical goal was and continues to be to maintain influence over a region that may serve as an alternate route for providing energy resources to the West via Georgia. At the time, Saakashvili’s goal was and continues to be to amass vast resources and control the country using the means he practised until 2012.

During the pre-war period, no statement was made in the UN Security Council that these concerns existed. Even after that, Saakashvili’s August 9 decree claimed the Russians went hostile on August 8 only,” he added.

Volski emphasised that if the GD government had not achieved strategic victory in Strasbourg, this topic would have remained legally undetermined.

“It took a lot of effort to gain this victory, especially after the resolution justifying the 2008 attack was signed. These are the true facts,” he went on.

Giuli Alasania’s words and evaluation, according to Volski, show that the Russian element is essential to the UNM and Saakashvili personally.

“Giuli Alasania’s speech is not a random collection of words. We have mentioned countless times that Saakashvili, who is in a bad state and is attempting to self-harm, is the opposition’s sole weapon against their nation, and there are several examples of them fighting against their own country. In this situation, Giuli Alasania effectively filled a gap in the process,” Vice President declared.

Rustavi 2 TV company released the audiotape, the authenticity of which is unclear. In the tape, Giuli Alasania refers to opposition politicians as “parasites” and discusses the Russian involvement in Saakashvili’s return to Georgia. Furthermore, Alasania says on the recording that “the Russians don’t want Ivanishvili either.”

According to the TV company, the audiotape was made before Saakashvili came to Georgia, and it is unknown to whom Giuli Alasania is speaking.