Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen: Government will take steps important for restoring territorial integrity

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the Georgian government will continue taking steps it considers important for the country and the restoration of its territorial integrity, in response to questions about a private company supplying fuel to Abkhazia in recent days.

In his remarks, Kaladze noted that the opposition regularly makes what he described as “anti-state” statements because it seeks to obstruct Georgia’s efforts to restore its territorial integrity.

“We will always take steps that are important for our country and for the restoration of its territorial integrity”, he said.

“On every step we take concerning the future, we always hear hostile and anti-state statements from the opposition. Through their actions, they will do everything and try to prevent the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity, because they are people without a homeland and for them Georgia is simply a territory. They do not have a sense that Georgia is their homeland; they are controlled from outside and represent an agent network. Accordingly, they do what they are instructed and demanded to do. We, meanwhile, will always take steps that are important for our country and the restoration of its territorial integrity”, Kaladze continued.

He stressed that the government’s actions do not go beyond the framework of Georgia’s Law on Occupied Territories.

“You know that there is a Law on Occupied Territories, and all the steps we take remain within the framework of this law. Relations between peoples are very important. Accordingly, we will do everything to restore the country’s territorial integrity and make coexistence with Abkhazians possible. Whether it is medical assistance, facilitating fuel supplies or other important issues, we will always take steps that are important for our country”, he said.

Asked specifically about the private company supplying fuel to Abkhazia, Kaladze said he had no information about the particular company, stressing that businesses in Georgia are free to operate within the law.

“I do not have information about the specific company. Once again, I repeat that every step and every decision related to this issue is taken within the framework of the existing law. Business in the country is completely free today. What happened in this regard before 2012 - attacks on businesses, terror, confiscation and the destruction of families - is a thing of the past. Accordingly, what matters is that decisions made by the business sector, their actions and steps remain within the framework of the law. Everyone is absolutely free”, Kaladze concluded.