2020-07-30

At the moment, my citizens are much more important to me than congressmen, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia told representatives of the media in Racha, in response to a question concerning the congressmen's letter.

"Regardless of where these congressmen might be from, we are dealing with a disaster here, and thank God we survived. Calm down a little," Giorgi Gakharia stated in response to the question.

The head of the government familiarized himself with the problems created by the disaster on the ground and received information about the needs of the population directly from local residents.

"Moving on to the next [issue]: There are several residents in several places in Ghebi and Patara Ghebi, which I saw with my own eyes, who are in the risk zone and they may need to be evicted. Therefore, as soon as the road is opened, the relevant services, geologists will visit all of these villages to study both the soil and the strata that are prone to mudslides, and the corresponding decisions will be made. This is essential in order to ensure that not a single citizen is at risk. These are the consequences of this disaster today. We will lose some time in terms of tourism. As you know, many guests visit Shovi and since accessing Shovi in the usual way may be problematic for one month, we will help them, as well as every single family hotel, everyone, in order to ensure that their guests experience minimal discomfort. Full attention will be paid to this issue. The relevant headquarters has been set up, it is headed by one of the deputy governors; the representatives of every ministry whose presence is necessary will be present here, and I will personally have daily contact with the headquarters," the Prime Minister stated.

The head of the government answered the journalists' question concerning the letter addressed by several members of the US House of Representatives to the US Secretary of State, noting that some congressmen will provide praise, others will provide criticism but the main thing is that nothing threatens the strategic partnership between the two countries.

According to the head of the government, some people are trying to harm the country by simulating subjective realities, which is unfortunate.

"The American political spectrum is very diverse, especially now. For example, yesterday, I received an excellent letter from Congressman Joe Wilson, who stressed Georgia's successes in terms of democratic development. Different motives exist in specific cases there and, naturally, I will not interfere in these internal spheres.

"Furthermore, just a few days ago I had a telephone conversation with the Secretary of State, which was extremely positive and future-oriented, focusing on how valuable our strategic partnership is for both Georgia and the United States. Not just the current situation, which, historically, has been the best in recent decades, but also the further deepening of this strategic partnership in various spheres - in the fields of security, human rights, further democratic development, business, and the economy. This is the reality and this reality will be confirmed once again when this country holds dignified and most democratic elections. Unfortunately, this is the reality. This is not a reality that I invented - this is the objective reality. Now, as regards the simulation of subjective realities: some people are trying to harm the country - not the Georgian Dream or the government, but the country - by engaging in the simulation of subjective realities and this is unfortunate. For this reason, we need to calm down now. Some congressmen will praise us, others will criticize us; most importantly, nothing threatens the strategic cooperation between the two countries, just as nothing threatens the interests of American businesses in Georgia; however, when people - including Americans, in some cases - fail to meet their obligations, be it investment obligations or obligations of a different kind, and Georgia wins the corresponding arbitration dispute, we should be happy, my friends, instead of being upset and taking up a contrary position with regard to the country," Giorgi Gakharia stated.

According to the Prime Minister, the partnership between Georgia and the United States must not be jeopardized because the country remains under occupation and there is no alternative way to resolve the issue of occupation peacefully other than through the support of strategic partners.

"For us - not just for the party or the government, but for the country - the most important thing is not to jeopardize the strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States, and this is especially true when it comes to some fictitious questions, because this country remains under occupation and we have no alternative ways to resolve the issue of occupation in a peaceful manner, other than through the support of our strategic partners. We must all understand this, and when you ask some meaningless questions due to short-term political interests pertaining to electoral conjuncture, you should know that this may harm the country," Giorgi Gakharia stated.

The prime minister also answered the journalists' question concerning Giorgi Rurua being sentenced to four years in prison, stating that "if a person has committed a crime, the fact that someone calls him a political prisoner, or that he owns a television station should not be an alibi for avoiding responsibility."

According to the head of the government, Georgia's justice system is transparent and has clearly progressed in recent years.

"The justice system has issued a verdict in a criminal case against this person. Of course, I will not comment here. If a person has committed a crime and is guilty, he should be held accountable and he should be in prison, or he should come out, or there are some other legal forms for this," the prime minister stated.

When asked whether the President would pardon Giorgi Rurua, the head of the government told journalists that the pardon is entirely at the discretion of the President.

"I have no idea whether the President will pardon him but I would like to reiterate that in my view, the justice system must be fair to all, and the imposition and inevitability of punishment is a fundamental element of the justice system. Therefore, if a person has committed a crime, the fact that someone calls him a political prisoner, or that he owns a television station should not be an alibi for avoiding responsibility," Giorgi Gakharia noted.

In response to a journalist's question concerning whether or not Mamuka Bakhtadze might be on the proportional list, the head of the government stated that Mamuka Bakhtadze is the former prime minister of this country and it stands to reason that he might be on the list.

The Prime Minister also answered the journalists' question concerning the cases pertaining to the deaths of Giorgi Shakarashvili and Tamar Bachaliashvili, stating that using the tragedies of the families of specific persons is unethical.

"We must not use these grave human tragedies, this is unethical. Let the police and the Prosecutor's Office conduct the investigation in a normal manner. If open question marks remain after the investigation - the media are free in this country, the right to expression is free, and nothing has ever been restricted for anyone. We have met many times and talked about many issues but we must once and for all get out of the habit of using the tragedies of specific people, families, for the purpose of asking politically motivated questions," Giorgi Gakharia stated.

Press Service of the Government Administration