Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims that Moscow is ready to “help” Georgia, Abkhazia, and Tskhinvali “normalize relations” if they are “interested.” He also hailed the Georgian government for “simply being honest about the past,” referring to GD patron Bidzina Ivanishvili’s recent remarks about apologizing to Ossetians for the 2008 war.
Tbilisi Mayor and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Kakha Kaladze, says that authorities in Georgia positively assess Lavrov’s statement. “The fact that Russia welcomes and supports reconciliation is certainly positive. However, it would also be good if Russia took concrete steps. For instance, we could start developing an action plan for the withdrawal of Russian forces from the occupied territories of Georgia,” Kaladze said in response to Lavrov’s statement.
In its statement, the de facto foreign ministry of occupied Abkhazia took note of Kaladze’s remarks, suggesting authorities in Tbilisi refrain from political speculations on the issues of the delusional “territorial integrity” topic during the election rally, and instead, focus on normalizing relations with Russia. “Therefore, instead of speculating on false stereotypes about the “territorial integrity of Georgia” and other mythical terms during the election campaign, Georgian politicians should start by establishing diplomatic relations with Russia,” reads the statement of the so-called foreign ministry of Abkhazia.
Minister of Education and Science Giorgi Amilakhvari resigned a month before the October vote, announcing his plans to return to the private sector after four years in the ruling party team. “I asked the Prime Minister and the leaders of our team to allow me to return to the private sector after four years of relentless work and continue to support our team from there – so we made this decision together for me to leave the post of Minister,” Amilakhvari said.
On September 27, Georgia marked 31 years since the fall of Sokhumi and the loss of control over the Abkhazia region, triggering the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Georgians from the region, which was later assessed as an ethnic cleansing by international organizations. The anniversary date comes amid the GD government’s campaign of “peace” and accusations against the opposition parties, which the GD claims are planning to open the “second front” with the support of civil society and “foreign [Western] patrons.”
On September 27, the 31st anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, the documentary “Forgotten Victims: Before Bucha was Abkhazia” was screened at the French National Assembly. The documentary features first-hand accounts of Russia’s heinous crimes in Abkhazia in 1993, drawing clear parallels to its recent actions in Ukraine. President Salome Zurabishvili and France’s Minister Delegate for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, attended the screening of the movie.
On September 22-26, the Georgian delegation headed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze participated in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Overall, the UNGA, which has traditionally served as an important platform for Georgian delegations to advocate a policy of non-recognition among world leaders, this year demonstrated a vivid failure to engage with Western leaders and there is a good chance it will be remembered for its silence on the Russian occupation. Here you can find key takeaways from this diplomatic drama.
On September 27, President Salome Zurabishvili signed the Amnesty Law initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, saying that while amnesty is a humane act, passing such a law just before elections is “indirect voter bribery.” “Amnesty is essentially a humanitarian act, and it is generally appropriate to grant it after the elections or well before the elections,” reads the press release of the President’s Administration, further noting that “the President took into account the fact that many convicts and their families are waiting for amnesty and signed the “Amnesty Law.”
Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that the October elections will be held outside Georgia in 42 countries in 60 electoral precincts. According to the CEC, the decision was made based on the official data on the number of registered voters abroad provided by the Foreign Ministry, despite strong pressure from opposition parties and CSOs to open more electoral precincts. The CEC claims that in 2024 more electoral precincts will be opened abroad than in the 2020 parliamentary elections.