“For two days now, opposition media, NGOs, and opposition parties have been calling the Ossetian people murderers and war criminals. What could be more inflammatory?” Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili told journalists.

Papuashvili emphasized that there is no greater goal than restoring territorial integrity, which can only be achieved peacefully.

“Regarding Russia, it’s a matter of de-occupation. As for relations with Ossetians, it’s an issue of reconciliation,” he explained.

“It was the Georgian Dream government that succeeded in having Russia’s occupation of our two territories recognized. The case languishing in Strasbourg was filed by the United National Movement and was doomed to fail, just like in The Hague. They hadn’t even submitted proper evidence; the Iskander missile parts, which were crucial evidence, were taken by the Americans and only returned to Georgia in 2017. We are grateful to the U.S. government for returning these parts, as they were evidence of war crimes committed during that conflict. It was the Georgian Dream that achieved the Strasbourg court’s ruling on occupation.”

Papuashvili continued, “Therefore, one issue is de-occupation – the removal of Russian forces from Georgian territories. The other is reconciliation. We have a State Minister for Reconciliation. Both Georgians and Ossetians are victims here – victims of being separated from each other. Just as the war criminals who tortured Georgian soldiers don’t represent the Ossetian people, Mikheil Saakashvili didn’t represent the Georgian people. We’ve stated that we will investigate the role of the previous administration and Saakashvili in the 2008 war. The United National Movement themselves signed a resolution acknowledging their role in initiating a new phase of the conflict, agreeing with the Tagliavini report’s findings.”

“Can’t you see the deep wounds inflicted on Georgian, Ossetian, and Abkhazian people? We’re talking about entire populations. You’re conflating war criminals, who will face justice, with the Ossetian people. Those specific individuals are war criminals and will be held accountable, just as we ensured that the Hague court issued arrest warrants against the then-leadership of so-called South Ossetia, including the so-called Interior Minister and the head of the detention facility. All war criminals will be punished.

The problem is that for two days, opposition media, NGOs, and opposition parties have been calling the Ossetian people murderers and war criminals. What could be more divisive? These NGOs, by conflating war criminals with an entire people and speculating while hiding behind the names of our heroes, are questioning fundamental truths. The basic truth is that there is no higher goal than restoring our territorial integrity,” Papuashvili asserted.

He added that territorial integrity will only be restored through peaceful means, which necessitates reconciliation.

“Reconciliation means understanding the wounds we’ve inflicted on each other, whether we believe we have or not. It means remorse where necessary, and mutual forgiveness where appropriate. The opposition, its media, and NGOs are orchestrating propaganda waves to play on people’s emotions – not just the families of those who died or participated in the war, but ordinary citizens as well. They’re blurring the lines between war criminals and the Ossetian people. Are you calling the Ossetian people criminals? Are you suggesting we have nothing to discuss with the Ossetian people? Don’t we share common wounds with them? We have a Minister for Reconciliation Affairs. Why does this position exist if there’s nothing to reconcile? Reconciliation is necessary when there’s a need for dialogue, discussing wounds, showing remorse where needed, offering mutual forgiveness, and so on,” Papuashvili concluded.