Ruling party official highlights Georgian Gov’t’s “pragmatic, cautious” policy as “having no alternative”

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Monday said the “pragmatic and cautious” policy of the Georgian Dream Government had “no alternative”.

In his remarks, Machavariani noted that if the Georgian Dream party had taken the steps it was urged to take, the country would have been in an “even worse situation” than Ukraine today.

“Over the past three years, we have faced numerous challenges, and the Georgia people remember it well. Since the beginning of the tragedy in Ukraine, there has been continuous pressure on Georgia - both from external actors and from the radical opposition and NGOs. Initially, the pressure was focused on imposing sanctions on Russia, which would have devastated our economy and provoked Russia”, the ruling party official said.

He further highlighted that there were also demands to send volunteers to Ukraine, which would have meant direct escalation with Russia.

“Additionally, there was a request to provide arms to Ukraine, with the promise that the United States would later supply us with weapons in return. Had we taken these steps, unfortunately, we would have been in an even worse situation than Ukraine today”, he continued.

“We stood firm, despite knowing the confrontation we would face from Brussels bureaucrats, the radical opposition, and the harmful elements of the NGO sector. We are a responsible Government, and we could not have acted otherwise”, Machavariani concluded.