Kaladze to Journalists: There Would Be No Fallen Heroes If It Were Not for Your Dirty Politics

As Kaladze said, the reality is that Georgian Dream is working to advance the country and is taking "concrete steps" toward that goal.

"The territorial integrity of the country is the number one priority for all decent people who love our country and homeland, and we will do everything in our power to make concrete progress in this area.

None of the fallen heroes would be celebrated if it weren't for your dirty politics and treacherous actions, which in 2008 imprisoned the country and the Georgian people, fulfilled an external mandate, and caused us to lose our territories. As a result, we lost our heroic soldiers, civilians, and displaced 10 000 people. This was your treacherous policy, and I assure you that you will definitely have to answer for it," said one of the leaders of the ruling party.

Kaladze described Ivanishvili's statement as "one small step" toward restoring territorial integrity: "Look, one small step has been taken on this path, and see what situation you find yourself in. I am sure that when specifics emerge, and I hope it will be very soon, you might ask for a tank from your superiors to confront the country's population and prevent the restoration of territorial integrity," he told reporters.

On September 14, at a pre-election meeting with voters in Gori, Georgian Dream founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili said, "as soon as the October 26 elections are over, when the instigators of the war are put on trial and when all criminals receive the strictest legal verdict for the destruction of the Georgian-Ossetian brotherhood and coexistence, we will surely find the strength within ourselves to apologize for the fact that the treacherous National Movement, under the mandate, burned our Ossetian brothers and sisters in 2008."

Ivanishvili's statement has been deemed unacceptable by the family members of soldiers who died in the war. Some of them expressed their positions on social media:

• "August 9, 2008... Ossetians Brothers boot on Giorgi's back. Sorry, Giorgi," - Maka Chikviladze posted a photo depicting the torture of her husband, Georgian national hero Giorgi Antsukhelidze.
• "I'm sorry, Shmagi, I'm sorry for today's Georgia... It probably wasn't worth it... My heart hurts because of your unappreciated self-sacrifice..." - Tea Tabatadze, wife of Shmagi Sopromadze, who heroically died in the Russian-Georgian war of August 2008, Vakhtang Gorgasli's 1st degree orderly.
• "So what happened? Did my husband sacrifice for the country's freedom? Are we now an aggressor country? Did he fight for the aggressors? What should I say to his soul? What should our children be proud of? When government representatives come down and pose at the grave of Emzar Tsilosani, who was Emzar? Can you answer me? Who should my children apologize to? The Russians or the Ossetians? What are you saying, the government? Or people of Gori, you know best who started the war. Why did you let Ivanishvili appeal in such a treacherous way? He even laughed at us; it was an address specifically intended for Gori… Explain to whom the families of the heroes of the Shindisi battle should apologize!" - Theo Tsilosani, wife of one of the heroes who died in the Battle of Shindis, Emzar Tsilosani.
• "On August 16, 2004, Zaza Damenia was killed for the territorial integrity of Georgia in Samachablo, on Eredvi mountain. 'We don't owe anyone an apology'," - Khatuna Khukhunaishvili, the wife of national hero Zaza Damenia.
• "Sorry to our heroes. We didn't deserve your sacrifice; we truly didn't deserve it," - Valeri Elizbarashvili, the son of Colonel Davit Elizbarashvili, who heroically died in the Russian-Georgian war of August 2008.

Ivanishvili's statement was well received in Russia. According to Kremlin propagandist Margarita Simonyan, "Georgia behaves incredibly adequately. It's as if he has come out of years of alcoholism or psychosis."