Kobakhidze: The opposition would have entered Abkhazia and Tskhinval/i with tanks

Ekho Kavkaza — Irakli Kobakhidze, leader of the “Georgian Dream” party, has weighed in on the opposition's stance in light of the recent upheaval in Russia, known as "Prigozhin's Insurrection." The Chairman of the ruling party took to social media to castigate government detractors, whom he alleges were lending their support to Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military firm.

He referred to the events in Russia as the “one-day adventure of the author of the so-called Bakhmut meat grinder,” and called the Georgian opposition a collective "National Movement".

"We all remember how the collective 'National Movement' cheered for Prigozhin, how they dedicated chants and poems to him, how they planned not only to enter Abkhazia and Tskhinval/i with tanks riding on the wave of Prigozhin's success, but also to seize Sochi and so on," Kobakhidze wrote.

The leader of the “Georgian Dream” is convinced that the opposition and "their patrons" are striving to open a “second front” against Russia.

“They could not hide: if they had the appropriate levers, they would use the first chance to enter Abkhazia and Tskhinvali with tanks. Once again, it has been confirmed that the collective 'National Movement' is a party of war and betrayal, whose goal is to use any pretext to open a second front in Georgia,” he added.

Kobakhidze says that the “collective National Movement” is trying to hinder the restoration of trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians.

“In this regard, on behalf of the ruling party, we would like to once again clearly state: our fundamental position is that the territorial integrity of Georgia must be restored only through peaceful means. We need not only the return of Abkhazia and Samachablo [South Ossetia -Ed.] to a united Georgia but also the restoration of trust with our Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers and sisters. Only in this case can the restoration of territorial integrity have real value for us,” he noted.

Kobakhidze states that in the conditions of a second front, Georgia “would have to fight not only with the occupying forces but also with the Abkhazians and Ossetians, which cannot be allowed under any circumstances”.

“It is unacceptable for Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians to shed each other's blood once again. This would be a great crime against future generations,” he added.

According to Kobakhidze, Georgia “does not need a second front, but a pragmatic and rational peace policy”.

• Earlier, some Ukrainian politicians called on Georgia, against the backdrop of Russian aggression against Ukraine, to open a “second front” against Russian troops and to resolve its territorial issues. The Georgian authorities, however, state that they plan to settle territorial conflicts only through peaceful means. A number of Georgian politicians also claim that the West is urging Georgia to go to war. Georgia's President Salome Zourabishvili, Western politicians, and diplomats categorically deny this.

This news was published by Ekho Kavkaza, and is translated from Russian.