Georgian politicians from the ruling Georgian Dream and opposition parties reacted to the recent developments and ongoing military confrontation in Nagorno-Karabakh, unanimously urging for de-escalation and peace.
Below is a compilation of some of the remarks of Georgian politicians on September 27-28.
MP Irakli Sesiashvili, Parliamentary Defense and Security Committee Chairman: “Our Foreign Ministry is constantly in touch with its counterparts… urging for peace and ceasefire. If the [Armenian and Azerbaijani] sides wish Georgia to participate in peace talks, we are fully ready, … but unfortunately today we can not see the signs of it. The international community is involved [in the process] and we could also get involved if needed. We are ready in any direction, [including] humanitarian, to assist both parties…”
Giorgi Khelasvhili, 18th on GD’s election party list: “De-escalation urgently needed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A renewed Karabakh war is in no-one’s genuine interest, and can throw the entire region back for years if not decades.”
Former President Mikheil Saakashvili, United National Movement: “The military clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia are of great concern to all those for whom peace in our region and our peoples’ well-being is essential… My position is unequivocal and is based on the principle of territorial integrity, which implies that Nagorno-Karabakh is a sovereign territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and nothing will change this fact at the same time the dispute shall be settled peacefully. Simultaneously, everyone who has been expelled from the region has the right to return to their homes, and who already live there have the right to live in peace, and their rights must be protected.”
Vice-Speaker, MP Sergi Kapanadze, European Georgia: “At this stage, it is important for us to have a position in support of peace, in support of not allowing events escalate further in the region… During this very hard situation in the region, it is important for the Government of Georgia to work out various alternatives and to be ready for different scenarios. In case of war, a lot of scenarios might unfold that we do not wish to happen.”
Labor leader Shalva Natelashvili: “I call on governments of all three South Caucasian countries to create a South Caucasian Security Council, headquartered in Tbilisi, to discuss and resolve any issues and conflicts there, without any middlemen. We should understand, once and for all, that none of the regional imperial countries want Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to be independent…”
Teona Akubardia, Strategy Aghmashenebeli: “The [Georgian] Government should timely summon a National Security Council meeting to assess the situation, the threats that this wide-scale war poses to Georgia and the steps Georgia could take to settle the conflict peacefully…”
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