"Given the disdainful tone - once again - of the statements of the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze, we are forced to once again express the position of Ukraine," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine responded to the use of the war theme by Georgia's ruling party in the election campaign and the statements made by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
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“The persistent efforts of the current government of Georgia to erase from the memory of the Georgian people the numerous crimes of Russia, which it has committed and continues to commit in the temporarily occupied territories of both Georgia and Ukraine, are surprising.
We consider it shameful that the Georgian Dream party uses images of Russia's merciless war against Ukraine in its political advertising. Brazen speculation on the Ukrainian grief exposed the truth about the ruling party of Georgia, which consists in complete contempt for the Ukrainian people and willingness to cause irreparable damage to the traditionally friendly relations between the Ukrainian and Georgian peoples for the sake of political points.
It is with regret that we state that by aping Russia's approaches to limiting the participation of civil society and human rights organizations in ensuring the country's democratic development and supporting a competitive electoral environment, the Georgian government has turned into a photocopier of the Kremlin.
We must remind you of another truth that the Prime Minister of Georgia forgot to reveal. The refusal of the Georgian authorities to support international sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation in response to full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the restoration of direct air traffic with Russia, the cancellation of the visa regime introduced in the early 2000s, and the intensification of bilateral trade have returned Georgia to the format of economic and political dependence on Moscow. The appearance in Georgian cities of private Russian schools, which are accredited on the territory of the Russian Federation, not only raises doubts about the quality of education, but also poses a threat of treating Georgian youth with Racist propaganda,” we read in the statement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine responded sarcastically to the display of infrastructure destroyed by the war in Ukraine and renovated in Georgia during peacetime on the election billboards of Georgian Dream. The ministry noted that there are fewer disruptions to electricity and gas supply in war-torn Kherson than in peaceful Tbilisi:
"We urge those willing to reveal the truth to also explain to their own people why in Kherson, destroyed by the Russian occupiers, where critical infrastructure objects were deliberately destroyed, there are currently fewer interruptions in the supply of light and gas than in peaceful Tbilisi."
Ukraine once again calls on the Georgian government to refrain from involving the Ukrainian state and its citizens in Georgia’s internal political processes and to stop mocking the blood and suffering of the Ukrainian people.
"We hope that the parliamentary elections in Georgia will be held in a peaceful and democratic manner, and the Georgian people will continue the strategic course of joining the EU and NATO," the statement added.
On October 9, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, speaking on the pro-government TV channel Imedi, said that the pre-election billboards and videos of Georgian Dream "exposed the truth." Kobakhidze noted that the public had not received full, accurate information about what is happening in Ukraine. "Because of this, those who tried to present the current situation in Ukraine as desirable for Georgian society are disturbed. They want war, a second front in Georgia, and they would prefer to show you the situation in Ukraine so that, at least to some extent, you desire war and a second front in your own country. That’s why certain forces are now irritated by these advertising materials," said the Prime Minister.
The EU Ambassador to Georgia,Pawel Herczynski, called the ruling party's election banners "Outrageous, Shameful, Disgusting." Earlier, President Salome Zourabichvili stated that she had never seen anything "so shameful, so insulting to our culture, traditions, history, and faith." According to Zourabichvili, the banners were "forged in the KGB."
