Tbilisi mayor on Lavrov’s statement
“Our government views [the statement] positively,” said Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze in response to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks.
According to Lavrov, Moscow is ready to mediate reconciliation between Georgia and its “neighbors” — the “states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia” — if the parties are interested.
Kakha Kaladze expressed hope that Russia will take concrete steps toward resolving the situation. He stated that Russia’s willingness to facilitate reconciliation is “undoubtedly” a positive development. However, he added that it would be preferable for such statements to be accompanied by specific actions.
“For example, regarding some of our territories that are occupied and where Russian military bases are currently located, it would be good if a plan for troop withdrawal from these territories were developed alongside these statements,” Kaladze said.
He also emphasized that the Georgian authorities will make every effort for reconciliation with their Ossetian brothers and sisters. According to him, the country’s territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence can only be achieved through forgiveness and peaceful initiatives.
Kakha Kaladze effectively echoed Bidzina Ivanishvili’s earlier statement in Gori, where he mentioned that Georgians should apologize to their “Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers.”
“Honorary Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili spoke in detail on this topic. It must happen through mutual reconciliation, exclusively by peaceful means, through development and forgiveness. We all need to recognize the past and understand the mistakes we made. We do not intend to live in the parallel world created by the collective radical ‘National Movement’ and its backers,” Kaladze stated.
It’s worth noting that Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, addressed the August war and territorial integrity in his speech in Gori. In this context, the informal leader of the country once again blamed not Russia, but the former government for the events of 2008 and announced a “Nuremberg process” for the “National Movement” party [Mikheil Saakashvili’s party].
