Georgian Parliament official: succumbing to post-Ukraine war pressure would have brought Russian aggression to Georgia

Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Regional Policy and Self-Government Committee, on Tuesday assessed ongoing global and regional developments, stating that during this transitional period Georgia has taken the only position it should have taken.

“There are very large players confronting each other, and our positioning in this big game changes absolutely nothing. However, an incorrect positioning under such turbulent conditions would drag us into the process and could turn us into a scapegoat”, Kadagishvili said.

In his remarks, the Chair noted that following calls for sanctions against Russia and direct confrontation after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine would have been a serious mistake.

He further added that some forces were planning the opening of a so-called second front, which may have seemed justified for them, as instability in the Caucasus would have created major problems for Russia.

“For Georgia, however, such a development would have meant a political, economic, social, and overall humanitarian catastrophe”, Kadagishvili said.

He stressed that imposing sanctions on Russia, entering into direct confrontation, or providing military assistance - including sending manpower under state legitimacy - would have inevitably provoked a Russian attack on Georgia.

“I reiterated: the war has not gone anywhere. This would have inevitably caused large-scale Russian aggression against Georgia in one form or another. The goal of those provoking this was to ignite a fire across the entire Caucasus, not only in Georgia”, Kadagishvili continued.

He added that while such a scenario might have served the interests of those planning it, for Georgia it would have resulted in a devastating catastrophe comparable in scale to historic destruction.

Kadagishvili further touched on developments in the Euro-Atlantic space, noting that one of the first major foreign policy steps taken by the US President Donald Trump after coming to office was a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the effects of which, he said, can still be seen in developments related to Ukraine, global politics, and Europe.