Parliamentary inquiry: former PM Noghaideli says Saakashvili should have logically assessed 2008 war consequences

Georgian Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission examining alleged crimes committed by the former United National Movement Government between 2003 and 2012 on Wednesday reviewed the situation in Georgia’s Russian occupied territories between 2004 and 2008 and the 2008 August war with Russia.

Zurab Noghaideli, the Prime Minister of Georgia under the former UNM Government, answered the Commission's questions.

Noghaideli emphasised that it should have been evident to anyone what the consequences of the 2008 war would have been.

“When you are the leader of a country, you must understand its capabilities, its resources, and the strength of its northern neighbour. Regardless of what your country is entitled to, you must reach a logical conclusion about what actions are possible and whether they would be harmful to the country”, the former official said.

He further stressed that no rational - or even irrational - person should have had doubts about the outcome of the war.

“We are talking about the consequences because, I repeat, this is not about what we started and what we had the right to do. We may have the right to do many things, and perhaps we are even obligated to do many things, but the main starting point is what capabilities we have”, Noghaideli concluded.