PRESIDENT SAYS GEORGIA ON FRONTLINE OF STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
Channel 1
Sept 1 2008
Tbilisi, Georgia
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, together with his wife and
two sons, joined the human chain on Freedom Square in Georgian capital
Tbilisi on 1 September. The human chain was organized in Tbilisi and
other towns throughout Georgia ahead of the EU summit in Brussels,
which is to discuss ways out of the recent Georgian-Russian armed
conflict. A bit later, Saakashvili addressed people assembled on
Freedom Square. His speech was broadcast live by the Georgian Public
Broadcaster and Rustavi-2 TV stations. Saakashvili said that Georgia
was "on the frontline of the struggle for freedom" and was "united
as never before". Recalling how Georgia survived "most dangerous
conquerors" in the past, Saakashvili said it would also survive the
"hordes of the 21st century", implying Russian troops that invaded
Georgia in August 2008. "Georgia fought and Georgia will continue
fighting," he said, noting that "for the first time in our history
we can say that Georgia is not alone.
The whole civilized world is with Georgia", and compared Georgia’s
"struggle for freedom" with "a struggle between justice and injustice,
between a major brutal force and a small but unbeaten nation, which
is clenched together as a fist. This is a struggle between David
and Goliath," he said. Saakashvili noted that the "brutal force and
these new hordes that entered Georgia decided to start the revival of
Russian imperialism from Georgia", stressing that "not only Russian
imperialism will be unable to win a victory in Georgia, but the Russian
imperial idea will be buried in Georgia once and for all. The empire
cannot revive, as Georgia will resist this," he said, pledging that
"Georgia will create a very beautiful and successful united country,
and Georgia, its multiethnic society, will certainly prevail together
with Europe and the rest of the civilized world". The following
is the text of Saakashvili’s speech broadcast live by the Georgian
Public Broadcaster (Channel One) on 1 September; subheadings have
been inserted editorially:
I am addressing the whole of Georgia, our citizens of all
ethnicities. I am addressing Azerbaijani Georgians, Armenian Georgians,
Jewish Georgians, Abkhaz Georgians, and our Ossetians. I am addressing
people of all ethnicities from all regions [of Georgia].
Georgia on frontline of struggle for freedom
Up to now, we have been proud of Georgia being a big nation, because
it survived millennia and innumerable conquerors, preserving its
nationality, statehood, and religion. Today, we can tell the entire
world that we are proud of our history, but we are most of all proud
of the present time, when Georgia is united as never before. More
than a million Georgians are on the streets today. [Applause; people
chanting "Misha! Misha!"]
This is the biggest gathering of people since [several words unclear],
velvet revolutions took place in Europe, and the Baltic nations stood
against the Russian and Soviet imperialism in the 1990s. Then too,
we saw hundreds of thousands of people, as well as bright eyes. Never
before have so many people assembled. Georgia is on the frontline of
the struggle for freedom again. We are fortifying the frontline of
freedom. [Applause; people chanting "Misha! Misha!"]
My dear people! The Georgians closed their united strong chain
today. I would like to tell you that, several months ago, I visited
Mount Athos, the holy soil of Athos in Greece and saw the hauberk
of Tornike Eristavi [10th-century Georgian nobleman and outstanding
military leader, who founded a monastery on Mount Athos]. I had
the opportunity and the honour to see and touch the hauberk of this
worthy patriot of ours. A new hauberk, which is big and strong as
never before, is being woven of this Georgian chain today. It is a
hauberk for Georgia, Europe, and freedom. [Applause; people chanting
"Misha! Misha!"]
Georgia standing united against "hordes of 21st century"
We stopped the hordes [Russian troops] moving towards
Tbilisi. Previously, Georgia survived Tamerlane’s numerous invasions,
as well as invasions by many most dangerous conquerors. The first
line for the protection of civilization, freedom, and independence
was in Georgia. Today, when the hordes of the 21st century came to
Georgia as in the past, Georgia is standing united. Georgia fought
and Georgia will continue fighting. Georgia is united. [Applause;
people chanting "Georgia! Georgia!"]
My dear people! I would like to tell you that not only our citizens
of various ethnicities are in this chain, but also Davit the Builder
[regarded as the most successful Georgian king – reigned in 1089-1125],
[5th-century Georgian King] Vakhtang Gorgasali, and Sulkhan-Sana
Orbeliani [1658-1725 – Georgian nobleman and diplomat, who tried to
gain European states’ support for Georgia against Muslim powers],
who wanted Georgia not to remain alone. For the first time in our
history we can say that Georgia is not alone. The whole civilized
world is with Georgia. Our struggle for freedom is a struggle between
justice and injustice, between a major brutal force and a small
but unbeaten nation, which is clenched together as a fist. This is
a struggle between David and Goliath. Like St George defeated the
unjust emperor with his spiritual strength and firmness, although the
emperor had an innumerable army, Georgia will also win a victory in
this unequal but very noble struggle. It will win a victory for our
future and the future of the entire free world. [Applause]
Georgia to build "humane society"
I would like to say that not only our struggle will not stop and the
chain will not disperse today, but it will grow and expand, because
Georgia has a long way to travel ahead. The struggle does not end
today. A big struggle is starting today. A struggle for uniting
and building a new country, which will be much more beautiful,
successful, modern, and civilized, which our future generations,
our great grandsons, and the rest of the world will be happy to
see. Our struggle is for taking care of all people, who have become
homeless. Some time ago, I met Mrs Mediko Jikia, who is a displaced
person from Sukhumi. She is not allowed to go to Sukhumi just because
she is an ethnic Georgian. Her husband and children were killed
in Sukhumi. She was here together with her grandsons. None of such
people will remain without homes and without being taken care of,
because Georgia’s further development is impossible without taking
care of, supporting, and aiding Mrs Jikia and people like her. We
should first and foremost be a humane society, which takes care of
the weak and vulnerable.
Our struggle continues and this is not a struggle for Georgia
alone. This brutal force and these new hordes that entered Georgia
decided to start the revival of Russian imperialism from Georgia. I
would like to tell them and the rest of the world on your behalf
that not only Russian imperialism will be unable to win a victory
in Georgia, but the Russian imperial idea will be buried in Georgia
once and for all. The empire cannot revive, as Georgia will resist
this. [Applause]
We are proud of the present. We are proud that we are united as
never before. If you allow me, I would like to declare 1 September
day of Georgia’s unity, when Georgia is standing united as never
before. [Applause; people chanting "Georgia! Georgia!"]
Tbilisi "new gate of freedom"
I would like to tell all freedom-loving nations that are standing
beside us and Europe: take a look at this ocean of people and more
than a million of our citizens of all ethnicities. It is time now for
Europe to extend its hand to us. Take a look at the European flags
flying here. We are the country of the Golden Fleece and Argonauts. We
are an ancient country of Christian civilization. We are a magnificent
example of unity and joint life of all ethnic and religious groups. We
are a unique example of good-neighbourly relations, brotherhood,
and peace. At the same time, as never before, the fate of Europe
and civilization, the gates of freedom, and the problem of freedom
are being decided in Tbilisi, which is a new boundary. Tbilisi is
a new gate of freedom, which the enemy of freedom will be unable to
break. Freedom is starting its great upsurge here in Tbilisi, Georgia,
from Freedom Square and under the guidance of St George, who is here
in front of us [reference to St George’s monument erected on Freedom
Square]. [Applause; people chanting "Georgia! Georgia!"]
Sisters and brothers! My dear people! My compatriots! I would
like to address everyone. I would like to address the rest of the
world. Georgia was attacked in a very unjust manner. Hundreds of
thousands of Georgians and people of other ethnicities – Ukrainians,
Jews, Estonians, Russians, Abkhaz, and Ossetians – were evicted from
their homes just because they wanted to be united and free and just
because they wanted to live in a normal democratic country. I would
like to tell everyone that this injustice will be unable to win a
victory. I would like to tell about 500,000 people of all ethnicities
displaced from Abkhazia that this injustice will be unable to win
a victory. We will without fail return to our homes. I would like
to tell people evicted from Tskhinvali that injustice cannot win
a victory and we will without fail return to our homes. We will
evict injustice and the brutal force, together with the rest of
the world. Through our peaceful struggle and our standing together,
our calmness, firmness, democracy, and freedom, we will definitely
defeat those, who are afraid of freedom as of plague, who want to
enslave freedom-loving nations, who want to build new walls in Europe,
and who want to see a new Berlin wall in Georgia. No new walls can be
erected in Georgia. We will stand together and we will do all we can
to prevent Georgia and Europe from being returned to the thick gloom,
to the lack of freedom, and to the era of violence, which we have got
out of. We will definitely reach the place of safety. We, the Georgian
people, will stand hand in hand with other nations in the world and
will without fail reach the place of safety together. [Applause]
Georgia enjoys broad support throughout world
My dear people! I would like to welcome all the nations standing beside
us. I would like to welcome the Ukrainians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians,
the Baltic countries, the United States, the EU, France, which is the
EU president, Germany, whose chancellor came here and supported us at
the very beginning, and all those who are standing on European squares
at this moment – in Stockholm, Munich, Berlin, London, and Prague. I
would like to welcome the former Czech president, legendary Vaclav
Havel, who declared his solidarity with us. All of us together will
wave here in Georgia the flag of what Havel has initiated. [Applause]
I want to greet our compatriots who are left in Russia and tell them:
do not be afraid of anything. You have seen that nothing could scare
Georgia. Freedom and common sense will prevail. I want to tell everyone
that Georgia is no-one’s enemy, nor is it the enemy of the Russian
people. But we are an enemy of everyone, who crosses our border,
who bombs our towns and who constantly tries to destroy our freedom
and trample our honour and all principles of freedom underfoot. We
will always resist these people.
"Peaceful resistance" to continue
I want to tell everyone that as long as there is one occupier on this
side of the Psou [River dividing Georgia and Russia in Abkhazia],
as long as there is one occupier on this side of the Roki [tunnel
connecting South Ossetia with Russia’s North Ossetia], as long as our
people are not allowed to return to their homes, as long as people
are being detained, killed and humiliated in every way, Georgia will
not stop resisting, Georgia will never surrender, Georgia will never
fold up its five-cross flag. [Applause]
We will continue our peaceful resistance in our towns, our villages,
and our streets. We will stand together and we will say: violence
shall not prevail, imperialism shall not prevail, and all insults
to freedom will ultimately fail. Our dignity shall not be trampled
underfoot. Our historic flag, the five-cross flag we are so proud
of, which is also the flag of Europe and which is now a symbol of
unbreakableness and standing together for the world, for Europe, for
civilization, and for freedom, shall forever fly and forever oppose
violence, forever oppose the enemies of freedom, forever oppose those
who wish to subdue the rest of the world and trample it underfoot. Long
live our battle for freedom! [Applause]
And I want to tell everyone that Georgia is not a country that does not
appreciate other ethnic groups. Our wealth is in our ethnic diversity,
our wealth is in the fact that our greatest king, Davit the Builder,
would go to synagogues and mosques in addition to of course pray in
church. For many centuries, we have been praying in our churches, for
many centuries we have been going to synagogues, for many centuries
we have been going to mosques and for many centuries we have spoken
in different languages and dialects, but nonetheless the Georgian
people has existed as a single entity for several thousand of years,
as a single unit that today has stood up for the whole world to see
and is asking the world for help and support. [Applause]
And when people of all ethnicities gather together, when people of
all confessions gather together, when our past and our present gather
together so that we all together can go towards the future, when our
national soul has been revived as never before, when our unity sets an
example for the rest of the world, we must tell everyone that Georgia
will keep fighting, Georgia will keep fighting peacefully for its
reunification. Georgia will never again fall to its knees. Georgia
will stand fully upright, Georgia will create a very beautiful and
successful united country, and Georgia, its multiethnic society,
will certainly prevail together with Europe and the rest of the
civilized world.
I want to greet our warriors. I want to greet those who spilt blood
and fell for Georgia. I want to greet representatives of all political
groups, who today are standing together here in Georgia. We are not
divided into politicians [of different camps], we are not divided
into the government and the opposition, we are not divided according
to our blood type, we all share the same beating heart, we all want
most of all to give our children, our future generations a normal
and peaceful country so that they can live in humane conditions and
to be allowed to develop and integrate with Europe, live like people,
as we have dreamt of doing for so long. And no-one will ever be able
to return us to where we were before and from which we have emerged
with difficulty; we barely managed to cross this Rubicon.
So I want to tell you: all of us will stand together, all of us will
be steadfast, all of us will be strong, all of us will be successful
and all of us will be victorious. Long live united, free, independent,
strong, European, and victorious Georgia!