Former military official criticises ex-President Saakashvili’s presence in 2008 war zone

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

During a session, Lasha Koiava, the Head of the Medical Department of the Ground Forces under the former UNM Government, criticised ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s involvement in military operations.

Koiava noted that Saakashvili’s presence on the battlefield was unnecessary and that he did not take an active role in military affairs.

“Mikheil Saakashvili should not have come to the theater of operations under any circumstances, neither he, nor the [Defence] Minister, nor the Chief of the Joint Staff should have been there, they should have been in Tbilisi, in their offices, and should have managed on a large scale what they were responsible for based on their functional duties”, the former official said.

He further recalled Saakashvili’s escape, stressing that his behaviour caused serious demoralisation in the army.

“Mikheil Saakashvili's participation in the operations was somehow not felt. He did not burden himself, nor did he abuse his position in dealing with the army. Whether it was ignorance or disdain, I cannot say, but that’s how it was. [...] One of the officers there told me that the President had escaped [...] Of course, he did not leave Georgia, but at that moment, we did not have access to television or the internet. We did not know where he had gone or what he was doing”, Koiava noted.