At the Georgian Dream’s rally yesterday, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party’s founder and honorary chairman, addressed the supporters who were bussed to Tbilisi by the government, especially for this occasion. Ivanishvili publicly assumed the party’s policies, which run counter to the advice of the United States and the European Union. He specifically assumed responsibility for the Russia-styled “foreign agents law” and the legislation targeting the queer community. In a long speech, he also strongly endorsed the conspiracy theory that presents the “global party of war” as a force poised to subdue Georgia’s identity and sovereignty and announced repressions against the opponents, “the collective United National Movement”, that are to follow the victory in October 2024 elections.
Civil.ge has compiled some of the reactions of the ruling party and opposition politicians Bidzina Ivanishvili’s statements.
Georgian Dream
Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister: “It was a very emotional day…despite the fact that the massive gathering format does not allow for comprehensive conversation, I believe that we have delivered our messages to the Georgian society in a quiet substantive way. Our main message is that Georgia must be an independent, sovereign state, and sovereignty and independence are a necessary condition for the fulfillment of all foreign and domestic political tasks and goals.”
Archil Talakvadze: “Yesterday, 200,000 of our fellow citizens gathered here in Rustaveli and expressed their firm position in support of peace, independence, national values, protection of sovereignty and the European future of Georgia. The high legitimacy of the government was confirmed once again… Yesterday there was really a sea of people. Thank you to our society, thank you to each of our supporters – without you it would be impossible to protect the interests of the country, maintain peace and make substantial progress on the path of European integration in this difficult period.”
Davit Matikashvili: “Yes, yesterday here in the capital of Georgia, in front of the legislative body, more than 200 thousand women and men, both laymen and clergy, stood and clearly supported and said yes to the sovereignty of the country, to the territorial integrity of the country, to the return of our Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers. Yes to the European integration of our country, yes to transparency, openness, publicity, true democracy, European development of the country with dignity.”
Opposition
Ana Tsitlidze, UNM: “The Russian oligarch in his anti-statehood, anti-European, anti-constitutional statement yesterday clearly and openly said that his goal was never the European future of Georgia [or] caring about the well-being of Georgian citizens. He openly said that he came [to power] in 2012 with only one task, and that task is to make Georgia lose its European future. What we saw yesterday was a frightened oligarch”.
Nika Gvaramia, Ahali: “We consider this statement a coup and a radical attempt to [change] the historical line of Georgia’s development. Bidzina Ivanishvili stopped his double game: On the one hand, he pretends to care about Georgia’s integration into the EU, and on the other hand, in reality, he pursues a policy of undermining the European integration. … We must say it honestly, Bidzina Ivanishvili is offering us to isolate ourselves and face Russia alone, to end our statehood in return for his remaining in power…. After yesterday’s speech, a speech full of contempt and animosity, a speech calling for repression, a speech announcing isolationism, it became clear that it is not only about Russian law or European integration – it is now about completely changing the historical direction and development of Georgia.”.
Mamuka Khazaradze, Lelo for Georgia: “Bidzina Ivanishvili openly admitted today that he serves Russia and that for his party the European Union is a ‘party of global war’. With this he repeated Putin’s ‘Rashism’ narrative. Bidzina Ivanishvili’s main message today was – no to development, no to the future, no to Europe – yes to Russia and his personal Putinization. Bidzina, your Russian dream will never come true in Georgia. We will not let you take Georgia to Russia.”
Zurab Japaridze, Girchi More Freedom: “[Ivanishvili] blamed all the problems on the West. Today, again, he presented the West as the biggest threat, threatened the West – “don’t mistake us for Shevardnadze’s Georgia or Yanukovych’s Ukraine”, there will be no justice or any other reforms – he announced repressions after the elections, [and] in the end threw at the idiots another dream – that of EU integration.”
Eka Beselia, For Justice: “Stubbornness and going against one’s own citizens is a weakness, not a strength. This rudeness, dividing your own citizens, calling for full mobilization to the point that it requires the involvement of all administrative resources, this is an extreme failure of the government… When you say in advance that I did it – to exhaust you, to tire you before the elections, and to win this way- that is an extreme demonstration of fear.”
Giorgi Vashadze, Strategy Aghmashenebeli: “As for Bidzina Ivanishvili, he is a wannabe dictator who has devoted his entire speech to threats over and over again… Yesterday Ivanishvili threatened absolutely everyone, changed his foreign policy, said no to the EU, yes to Bidzina. His foreign and domestic policy is Bidzina Ivanishvili, and he says that this country should praise and glorify only this person, who is completely detached from reality and is very weak… Yesterday Ivanishvili announced that the United States of America, the European Union are all our enemies: “I am the only person who knows what to do in this country.” Under his conditions, not only will the country not accede to the European Union, but our Western partners are clearly saying that we will lose even what we have gained”.
Roman Gotsiridze, Euro-optimists: “Yesterday’s gathering and Bidzina Ivanishvili’s anti-Georgian, anti-Western, pro-Russian statements… shed light on everything. Bidzina Ivanishvili in yesterday’s speech surpassed not only “People’s Power”, but also Lukashenko and Lavrov. We saw caricatures of fascist ideology. He proclaimed the doctrine of the Georgian Dream, which means cutting the country off from the Western orbit, with the aim of staying in power establishing an authoritarian regime in Georgia with the support of Russia…”
Gigla Lemonjava, Droa: “The Kremlin spoke to with through Ivanishvili’s mouth, it was an open, Russian statement, whose task is to isolate Georgia internationally, to leave Georgia alone with Russia, and we know very well how such a scenario ends… The international geopolitical environment will not allow Ivanishvili to remove Georgia from European, Euro-Atlantic integration and leave it alone with Russia.”
Akaki Bobokhidze, European Georgia: “Bidzina Ivanishvili once again confirmed why they want to pass this law. He directly called non-governmental organizations agents of foreign countries, enemies, and considers our partners as the worst enemies. That is why Bidzina Ivanishvili should be finished in the fall. Otherwise, we will get Russian Georgia instead of the Russian law.”