"Internal enemies threaten the country" - Georgian Prime Minister assesses the year

Georgian Prime Minister’s annual report

On June 30, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili presented the annual report to the Parliament and stated that “the destructive actions of internal enemies pose a threat to the country.” He also discussed the country’s prospects for NATO membership and emphasized that citizens should not have inflated expectations from the government.

Key points from the Prime Minister’s report:

● Restoring railway with Russia through Abkhazia is only possible if Georgia’s territorial integrity is restored. In recent days, there have been attempts to mislead society on this matter.

● Georgia will be represented by the Foreign Minister at the NATO Summit in July 2023. Our task is to ensure that the progress we have achieved is duly recognized and evaluated there. In the current situation, we must speak the truth to society and ourselves. There is no need to create exaggerated expectations, as it has happened before. Remember the history with the Membership Action Plan (MAP). We were promised that once we receive this plan, paradise will come. But all we received were problems. We didn’t get the MAP, and the country was not protected because of that foolish policy. We couldn’t avoid that major provocation from the very beginning.

● It is unacceptable for me to have [LGBT] propaganda in kindergartens and schools. This is impermissible. McDonald’s organized this campaign and stated that it is part of a global campaign, and it was immoral. What is the importance of [joining the campaign], I don’t understand? This topic should be taboo in our country. The discussion on this matter can be open in parliament, and this issue can also be regulated at the legislative level.

● I want to remind everyone about Bidzina Ivanishvili’s philanthropy [founder of the ruling party, former prime minister, oligarch, considered a shadow ruler of Georgia – JAMnews]. Mr. Ivanishvili spent three billion from his own pocket; he helps his country. Particularly in Adjara, he spent hundreds of millions of dollars, transformed the whole region, remember the area around Shekvetili and beyond.

What the flamingos in Ivanishvili’s dendrological park say about Georgia

Report from Bidzina Ivanishvili’s dendrological park on the Black Sea coast of Georgia, where enormous trees were brought in from across the country and world

● We help Europeans prevent the supply of sanctioned products. We have shared information with our colleagues and partners – together with the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, we have identified and stopped about 1,300 such cases. We have warned our European colleagues, European states, that this sanctioned product will be coming from their countries.

● And what have you done recently [referring to the “National Movement” – JAMnews]? Do you realize the damage you have caused to the country with your campaign about your leader [Saakashvili] allegedly dying, being poisoned, being tortured? Why don’t you talk about it anymore? Has Saakashvili come back to life? Or resurrected?

• European Socialists exclude Georgian Dream
• “Georgia complies with EU policy by 28%” – debate in the European Parliament

● Torture, humiliation, rape, and killings of prisoners are a thing of the past. Today, our penitentiary system has become exemplary, one might say, throughout Europe. Everyone is amazed and impressed by the results we have achieved through this system.

How the Georgian Judicial System Fell Under Western Sanctions

Reforming the Georgian judicial system is the main sticking point for the EU in granting Georgia candidate status. Why, and what can be done?

● The candidate status for EU membership is symbolic but an important next step. Our team has done everything possible to obtain it. During meetings, I explain to our European colleagues and friends that if they do not grant Georgia the candidate status, it will be another strategic mistake of the European Union. Our country, people, and government do not deserve this […]

One of my main arguments: how will this message be understood in the Russian Federation and in those countries that are also interested in integration into the EU? How will it be evaluated in the region? I believe that this argument will be understood, and the corresponding decision will be made by the end of the year.

What is wrong with the Georgian opposition?

The largest opposition party, the National Movement, is trying to re-legitimize its leaders through early intra-party elections, while other, smaller parties can neither act in concert nor independently form an agenda

● One of the key recommendations of the EU [for obtaining the status] is reducing polarization. Again and again, this is not being fulfilled due to the destructive sabotage and boycott of the irresponsible opposition. Completely putting an end to this is probably impossible, as polarization exists in every country. But one of the main steps towards reducing it in Georgia would be granting the country this candidate status. I say this openly to [European leaders]: if they are truly interested, and I believe they are, in reducing polarization in Georgia, the country must be granted the status of a candidate country. It is necessary.

Georgian Prime Minister’s annual report