Georgian Parliament official slams opposition leader Nika Gvaramia over remarks on Georgia’s territorial integrity

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, on Monday slammed remarks by opposition figures Nika Gvaramia and Salome Samadashvili concerning Abkhazia, saying that speaking against Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and history “resembles a direct instruction received from abroad.”

Gorduladze’s comments came after Gvaramia has argued that nations must overcome historical traumas in order to move forward and develop, warning that traumatic memories can act as an obstacle to progress. Discussing the war in Abkhazia and broader regional issues, Gvaramia expressed admiration for Pashinyan, whom he credited with overcoming historical traumas in a short period of time.

Gorduladze described Gvaramia’s statement as a “classic example of being a rootless person”.

“How can you speak against your country’s sovereignty, against your country’s territorial integrity, and against your country’s history? This resembles a direct instruction received from abroad. Their patrons are trying to test a new narrative, as if our country’s temporarily occupied territories are some kind of burden that we must necessarily get rid of”, he said.

“This began with Baramidze’s statement that Georgians were committing war crimes, which is an absolute lie and a treacherous statement. This was followed by similar remarks from a representative of a non-governmental organisation. The collective National Movement, both in the past and today, is fighting against the sovereignty of our country”, Gorduladze noted.