Reintegration Minister Candidate releases ministry's strategy
By Keti Arjevanidze
Wednesday, October 24
Reintegration minister candidate, Paata Zakareishvili, met journalists, where the key topic of discussion was the plans and strategies which his department is going to perform, also the stabilization of the situation in the conflict regions.
On October 11-12, the reintegration minister candidate was involved in the Geneva negotiations, where the Georgian delegation with leader Sergi Kapanadze and specialist of conflict issues, Gia Volski, were taking part in negotiations. Zakareishvili expressed his satisfaction towards the ministry of foreign affairs for giving him a chance to participate in the negotiations, which he estimated as a very constructive.
Zakareishvili said that their plans and working strategy is well established in Georgian Dream’s program. He avoided disclosing the details, as in his opinion “there are a lot of issues to combine and discuss with other ministries and it is too early release them,” said Zakareishvili.
The minister candidate said that their main target is to restore Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian- Ossetian relations and dialogue. “Our direction is to restore the confidence among these two sides and reduce the temperature that exists in our relationship with Russia,” said the minister candidate.
According to Zakareishvili Russians are totally controlling these regions and “more than that, they are controlling the wishes of the population, which is unacceptable for us,” he explained.
Zakareishivi’s department’s main goal is to take steps that will free the Abkhazian and Ossetian sides from Russian subordination. The way in which they go for accomplishing these plans will be according to the results of the negotiations with the other departments of the country.
“The success of our ministry depends not only on Georgian law, the Georgian constitution, and internal agreements, but success also depends on the negotiations with the oppositional sides,” said Zakareishvili. According to him, the oppositional side of Georgia often reveals a detrimental attitude towards Georgia.
The minister candidate hopes that Georgia has a chance to rebuild a Georgia which will be acceptable for both Abkhazians and S. Ossetians as well, although he added that time will be needed to achieve this.
“If we are happy in our country, if law is law, President is President and parliament is parliament I am deeply sure that the Abkhazians and Ossetains, not an absolute majority but most of them, will turn back to Georgia,” said Zakareishvili. “We offer more safety and more development than Putin’s Russia offers,” he added.
