The News in Brief
Thursday, June 1, 2023
Prepared by Messenger Staff
Mayor Kakha Kaladze Defends Prime Minister's Speech at Global Security Forum
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, General Secretary of 'Georgian Dream', told reporters that there is no statement from the Prime Minister indicating Georgia's abandonment of NATO or its European future.
He highlighted that Irakli Gharibashvili's speech at the Global Security Forum in Bratislava, along with his responses to questions, were focused on safeguarding national interests."
"I want to emphasize that all the statements and answers given by our Prime Minister, Irakli Gharibashvili, on various international platforms were fully aligned with the national interests of our country and its people. Every sentence and word he spoke regarding Georgia holds great importance and is well-received. The sensationalism and deliberate speculation that we witnessed yesterday are disgraceful and shameful. Irakli Gharibashvili did not utter anything that has not been stated by our Western partners before. The circumstances were always acknowledged and addressed in their statements. Therefore, there is nothing new or groundbreaking in this regard.
You are lying, you cannot present any statement by the Prime Minister with similar content anywhere, suggesting that Georgia rejects NATO or its European future," stated Kaladze.
Lelo Party Leader Davit Usupashvili Comments on President Zourabichvili's Speech as Progress in EU Integration
Davit Usupashvili, the leader of the Lelo Party, commented on President Salome Zourabichvili's speech in Brussels, stating that it was a step forward on the country's European integration path. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the statements made by the Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili in Bratislava, as according to Usupashvili,they did not align with Georgia's European aspirations.
According to Usupashvili, the President aimed to present Georgia as it truly is, a country with a European choice and a population that shares European values. He questioned whether the President's speech would be sufficient to compensate for the government's past failures and inadequacies, such as disregarding the Charles Michel agreement and taking actions that posed a significant threat to Georgia's European future.
Usupashvili speculated that if Georgia had adhered to the Michel agreement and stayed within its framework, the country could have attained the same status as the previous year. While he acknowledged that the President touched upon the right topics, he noted that opinions may vary and that the context should be considered. He also mentioned that the President's tone was less critical of the government compared to a week ago. Usupashvili concluded that the Brussels platform was not the appropriate venue for an extensive analysis of internal political processes.
"The President's speech in Brussels was a step forward on the country's path towards European integration, which I cannot say about the statements made by the Prime Minister in other European capitals.
The President aimed to present Georgia to Europeans as it truly is - a country with a European choice and its people sharing European values. Will this speech be sufficient to compensate for the government's shortcomings and mistakes, starting from rejecting the Charles Michel agreement and continuing with actions that have posed significant challenges to the country's European future? If we had adhered to the Michel agreement last year and followed the agreed processes, we would have maintained the same status as the previous year.
Zourabichvili addressed the right topics, but opinions vary, and we must consider the context in which these statements were made. I believe the President could not have been more specific than that. It's worth noting that just a week ago, the President expressed much stronger criticism of the government. The Brussels platform was not the appropriate venue for the President to delve into the internal political processes in greater detail," Usupashvili said.
Mayor Kakha Kaladze Defends Prime Minister's Speech at Global Security Forum
He highlighted that Irakli Gharibashvili's speech at the Global Security Forum in Bratislava, along with his responses to questions, were focused on safeguarding national interests."
"I want to emphasize that all the statements and answers given by our Prime Minister, Irakli Gharibashvili, on various international platforms were fully aligned with the national interests of our country and its people. Every sentence and word he spoke regarding Georgia holds great importance and is well-received. The sensationalism and deliberate speculation that we witnessed yesterday are disgraceful and shameful. Irakli Gharibashvili did not utter anything that has not been stated by our Western partners before. The circumstances were always acknowledged and addressed in their statements. Therefore, there is nothing new or groundbreaking in this regard.
You are lying, you cannot present any statement by the Prime Minister with similar content anywhere, suggesting that Georgia rejects NATO or its European future," stated Kaladze.
Lelo Party Leader Davit Usupashvili Comments on President Zourabichvili's Speech as Progress in EU Integration
According to Usupashvili, the President aimed to present Georgia as it truly is, a country with a European choice and a population that shares European values. He questioned whether the President's speech would be sufficient to compensate for the government's past failures and inadequacies, such as disregarding the Charles Michel agreement and taking actions that posed a significant threat to Georgia's European future.
Usupashvili speculated that if Georgia had adhered to the Michel agreement and stayed within its framework, the country could have attained the same status as the previous year. While he acknowledged that the President touched upon the right topics, he noted that opinions may vary and that the context should be considered. He also mentioned that the President's tone was less critical of the government compared to a week ago. Usupashvili concluded that the Brussels platform was not the appropriate venue for an extensive analysis of internal political processes.
"The President's speech in Brussels was a step forward on the country's path towards European integration, which I cannot say about the statements made by the Prime Minister in other European capitals.
The President aimed to present Georgia to Europeans as it truly is - a country with a European choice and its people sharing European values. Will this speech be sufficient to compensate for the government's shortcomings and mistakes, starting from rejecting the Charles Michel agreement and continuing with actions that have posed significant challenges to the country's European future? If we had adhered to the Michel agreement last year and followed the agreed processes, we would have maintained the same status as the previous year.
Zourabichvili addressed the right topics, but opinions vary, and we must consider the context in which these statements were made. I believe the President could not have been more specific than that. It's worth noting that just a week ago, the President expressed much stronger criticism of the government. The Brussels platform was not the appropriate venue for the President to delve into the internal political processes in greater detail," Usupashvili said.