“Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s statement on Georgian-Russian relations endangers the country’s national interests, and significantly weakens its positions vis-à-vis Russia, be it within the Geneva International Discussions, or on the international arena,” Georgian parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition parties wrote in their joint statement today.

The statement, signed by twelve political parties, including the United National Movement, the European Georgia, the Free Democrats, and the Republicans, reads that the Prime Minister’s March 9 appeal to Moscow “is yet another demonstration of the harmful foreign policy pursued by the Georgian Dream party, and the country’s informal ruler, Bidzina Ivanishvili.” 

The opposition parties stressed that PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s” willingness to engage in a direct dialogue with representatives of the occupation regimes of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali,” contradicted “one of the major objectives of the de-occupation policy to have Russia recognized as the only party to the [Georgian-Russian] conflict.”

“This message weakens the Geneva International Discussions format as well, and endangers the long-lasting achievement of our diplomacy, which has [successfully] managed that the international community is unanimous in its assessments of Russia’s role, and recognizes it as an occupation force and a party to the conflict,” reads the statement.

The opposition parties also pointed out that PM Kvirikashvili’s appeal, as well as the statement of other ruling party representatives helped the Russian Federation in its attempts to “put on a mediator’s role,” and “legitimize the country’s partition.”

The parties then called on the authorities to establish a special discussions forum on the Geneva talks with participation of the opposition, and invited the Prime Minister for parliamentary debates on Tbilisi’s policy regarding Russia. 

They also urged the Parliament to “promptly” adopt a resolution on human rights violations in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region, and called for intensifying “the activities of the Interior Ministry and the State Security Service in the territories adjacent to the occupation line in coordination with the EUMM.”