Georgian president criticizes authorities, opposition over Saakashvili situation
TBILISI. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Georgia has become a hostage of the situation with former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said. She urged that the issue be removed from the political domain for the country to develop and become a EU candidate.
Zourabichvili's administration published her statement on Tuesday in the wake of the Tbilisi City Court ruling, which dismissed a motion from Saakashvili's lawyers for health-related deferral of his imprisonment, ordering to stay in custody.
"This judgment has sentenced the Georgian people to go round in a vicious circle and remain a hostage of this situation," Zourabichvili said in the statement, while stressing that she refrained from assessing the court's ruling.
Unprecedented discrediting of Georgia is continuing to the detriment of building proper relations with partners, including the work on 12 recommendations the fulfillment of which is crucial for Georgia's EU candidacy status, she said.
"The country is a hostage of this sole issue [the issue of Saakashvili], while all other matters important to us are not even being publicly discussed," Zourabichvili said.
Society has questions and doubts as to whether Georgia stays on the declared track or slides back into Russia's orbit, she said.
"The country's reputation has been undermined, confidence has been shattered, and our place in the new geopolitical context has become uncertain," Zourabichvili said.
The president blamed both the authorities and the opposition.
"On one hand, there are government's rhetoric, stubborn decisions and incomprehensible lenience towards Russia [...], which is at contrast with the strict attitude to the Ukrainians and our partners and the frequently insulting criticism," Zourabichvili said.
On the other hand, statements by certain members of the Saakashvili family are no less damaging to the country's reputation, she said.
Any pardon by the president cannot help this mutual discrediting, Zourabichvili said.
Given the remarks by the former president who did not admit or repent his crimes, one can expect that, if released from custody, he will be in active opposition to the authorities and, actually, the country's reputation and, therefore, the European chances of Georgia, she said.
"Responsibility for plunging the country into this state is equally shared by those who persuaded the former president to come to Georgia and those who let him in and refused to let him go. The authorities have practically managed to remove the European path and the implementation of 12 recommendations from the political agenda," Zourabichvili said.
"To let the country miss this huge chance, to turn our European path from a priority to a secondary matter, and to replace it with another subject is a crime and a great responsibility before the future. The ruling party and the opposition bear joint responsibility," she said.
"There is need for one more effort, one more understanding in order to save face and restore confidence. The government needs to realize that the issue is detrimental to the country and that a legal and humane solution must be found, while the opposition needs to understand that Saakashvili must admit his crime once and for all and free the country and the opposition from the status of hostages by quitting politics," Zourabichvili said. "Everyone must stop making speculations and playing with the future of this country, everyone must take responsibility and stop harming the country's image," she said.
"The issue needs to be removed from the Georgian political space and this country must be given a chance to breathe, live, develop, and receive an honorary EU candidate status," Zourabichvili said.