Premier: Strong economy, balanced policy may unite Georgia
TBILISI. Oct 27 (Interfax) - Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has once again pointed to the hard legacy of the former Georgian authorities in the relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"The current events in Abkhazia and South Ossetia resulted from the hard legacy of the National Movement [the former ruling party]," he said on Monday in a report on the government's work in the past two years.
"What we are dealing with now is the result of the language of hate, their [former authorities'] thoughtless steps and the unbalanced and anti-state policy of Saakashvili. A result of this policy is the occupation of 20% of the Georgian [territory]," the prime minister stated.
The policy of [former Georgian President] Mikheil Saakashvili increased the number of refugees and caused the appearance of new refugee settlements, he said.
"This is the biggest challenge the incumbent Georgian authorities are facing. But we are set to resolve problems with a reasonable policy, self-control, constructiveness and a predictable approach; we will be advancing towards living in a united and strong country step by step," Garibashvili stressed.
"We should manage to restore confidence. On one hand, there will be a balanced policy and, on the other hand, there will be a strong economy attractive to our brothers [residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia]," the Georgian prime minister said.