At the Independence Day parade, Salome Zurabishvili called for Georgia’s European future and criticized Russia. Prime Minister Kobakhidze called Zurabishvili’s speech inappropriate.
Addressing the parade participants, Georgian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Salome Zurabishvili devoted most of her speech to Georgia’s European future and criticizing Russia.
“Europe did not start any war. In the European environment our country is given an opportunity to preserve its independence and achieve development. It is surprising that today I have to convince someone who is a friend and who is an enemy. We know who took away our territories and who violates our sovereignty,” she said.
Zurabishvili noted that parliamentary elections are to be held in autumn, which will essentially be a referendum between the European and Russian ways of development of Georgia. “These elections will actually determine our future – either European or isolated Russian,” the president said.
In turn, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, addressing those gathered at the parade, said that the country, especially in the last 4 years, has gone through attempts to undermine its independence and sovereignty.
“It was the unity of the people and the authorities elected by them that allowed us to avoid many threats and betrayals, including the betrayal of the President of Georgia. Despite this in the last 2 years we have been able to maintain peace,” he said.
After the parade, Kobakhidze told reporters that Zurabishvili’s speech at the parade “was inappropriate on Georgia’s Independence Day.”
“We can only regret that Independence Day is being used by the president for political statements. Today we have a bank holiday and we all need to talk not about politics in its narrow sense, but about our common national tasks,” the Prime Minister said.
President of Georgia S. Zurbaihvili apparently does not consider the majority of European countries as Europe. And Friedrich, Napoleon and Adolf are just famous European philosophers.
2,213 total views, 4 views today
