Tbilisi Mayor: European values are dignity and peace, not war, injustice, and blackmail

The Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze, while on an official visit to Budapest, on Monday addressed an international conference on urban development, emphasising Georgia's profound understanding of the value of peace and criticising the global spread of “pseudo-liberal ideology”.

Speaking at the conference focused on the urban development of European cities, Mayor Kaladze not only discussed implemented and planned projects in Tbilisi but also addressed the political challenges facing Georgia.

“Georgia knows the price of peace well. Peace is development, progress, the well-being of our countries and cities”, Kaladze said.

The Mayor expressed his pleasure in participating in a conference where cities share experiences for a common future. However, he stressed that discussing urban development, and the conference’s main question of “how to balance change and historical identity is impossible without addressing current global political processes.

“I am the Mayor of Tbilisi, a city that counts centuries; the capital of a country that represents an ancient civilization”, he noted. He added that Georgia’s geopolitical location, positioned at the crossroads between East and West, has brought numerous challenges to the country.

“The Georgian people, with immense culture and traditions, have been fighting for survival for centuries. Fighting and developing simultaneously - this is part of our historical memory. The Georgian people managed to survive, strengthen, and preserve their language, religion, culture, and traditions”, the Mayor noted.

Kaladze underscored the Georgian Government’s policy, which is primarily aimed at protecting the interests of the Georgian people, ensuring peace, and fostering development within the country.

"I want to use this international platform today and say once again - Georgia knows the price of peace well. Peace is development, progress, the well-being of our countries and cities. And the identity of our nations is the richness with which we diversify and complement each other”, Kaladze said.

The Mayor then issued a strong caution against external ideological pressures.

“However, the pseudo-liberal ideology imposed on the world poses a serious threat to the correct development of countries and cities”, he continued.

He asserted that the Georgian Government was one of the first to speak out about these dangers. He highlighted key policy decisions aimed at national preservation: avoiding involvement in a war that would have destroyed Georgia, declining to join sanctions that would have led to a severe economic crisis, protecting Georgian identity, religion, culture, and traditions.

In return, the Mayor stated, Georgia has faced “numerous attempts at a coup d'état, radicalism fueled by foreign agents within the country, and external threats regarding the suspension of the European integration process and visa liberalization”.

Concluding his address, Mayor Kaladze emphasised his vision of European values and extended his gratitude to the host country.

“When I have to talk at today's conference about the future of Tbilisi as a European city, I want to emphasize first and foremost that the European value is not war, injustice, and political blackmail, but dignity, justice, the rule of law, respect for one's own and others' culture, the struggle for peace, and the pursuit of development”, Kaladze said.

He thanked Hungary for its support of Georgia during recent processes, specifically mentioning Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

“I want to express special gratitude to Hungary for its support to Georgia, especially in the recent processes. Thank you to the Hungarian Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Orbán, for the truth he constantly speaks”, he concluded.