The ruling party Georgian Dream still claims that the 2008 Russia-Georgia war started due to the "provocation" of the then Georgian government. They state that, now that all disputes in international courts have ended with the victory of Georgia and there is no longer any risk of imposing responsibility on "even one Georgian soldier," it is time to "give a full legal assessment" to all the facts. Today's statement from the ruling Georgian Dream asserts that the United National Movement will have to be collectively responsible for the "committed treacherous crime."
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Members of the ruling party assert that the "crime committed" by the National Movement in 2008 has only been discussed in hints, which had an "objective reason."
"Today, on August 7, Georgian society once again witnessed another hypocritical PR campaign by the National Movement regarding the August War. Members of the war party visited the graves of heroic soldiers and published condolence texts. They do all this as if they were not to blame for the tragedy that occurred in 2008.
For years, international court processes were held in Strasbourg and The Hague, which, with the greatest efforts of our government, ended in the victory of Georgia. Now that even the theoretical risk of Georgia, the Georgian army, and even one Georgian soldier being held responsible at the international level has passed, the time has come for the public to learn the full truth and give a full legal assessment to all the facts.
The treasonous crime of the National Movement had the worst consequences. As a result of the 2008 war, we lost two historic regions, hundreds of soldiers and civilians were killed, and 30,000 people were displaced. It is unacceptable that a crime of this magnitude remains unpunished without a legal assessment," the statement reads.
According to Georgian Dream, hostilities did not begin on August 7, 2008, and the National Movement is allegedly altering the date to cover up its own crimes and avoid responsibility.
"For years, the National Movement referred to August 8 as the date the war began, with their protocol measures concluding on this day. A few years ago, the radical opposition decided to change the date and declared August 7 as the start of the war. The only reason for this is that the National Movement is attempting to conceal its own crimes and avoid accountability. However,
with all international court risks already mitigated, the artificial alteration of the war's start date and similar manipulations will not allow the war party representatives to avoid publicly addressing the most difficult questions...
The National Movement has committed many crimes against the country and its people, but the most severe crime is the 2008 adventure. To ensure the irreversible development of our country and establish long-term peace in Georgia, it is crucial that these events receive a proper legal assessment. We assure the public that this will definitely happen after the elections," the ruling party's statement reads.
Georgian Dream also comments on the current Russia-Ukraine war, stating that the National Movement attempted to drag Georgia into this military conflict and "to drag the country into the fire of war once again."
"This circumstance further reinforces the belief that these individuals deliberately orchestrated the worst provocation in 2008 and executed an anti-state task assigned from outside.
We will not elaborate on the source of this order and whose tasks were performed by the highest government officials at that time, as the public legal process will reveal everything.
We will be the plaintiff in this process, and the National Movement will have to collectively bear responsibility for the treasonous crime committed against the country and its people," states Georgian Dream.
The ruling party concludes by noting that "this does not mitigate the crimes committed by Russia, nor the fact that the Russian Federation is responsible for the occupation of our country's territories."
Today, August 7, marks the 16th anniversary of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. On this day, Georgia's partner countries and international organizations have issued statements in support of Georgia.
