"They can apologize now; they don’t need a constitutional majority to do so. This should be done by the ruling party through a parliamentary resolution. After all, there are 84 members - traitors - who supported the anti-democratic Russian law. These 84 traitors should make a statement apologizing to the Ossetian people or to Russia, as Georgia left Russia no choice but to come in with supposed noble intentions, protect the Ossetians, and occupy Georgian territory. They can now issue the same weak statement they used to accept the Russian law. There is plenty of time before the elections - so why don’t they do it? Because this is merely part of an election campaign against the National Movement, not an effort towards reconciliation with the Ossetians. Therefore, I view this as a very anti-state, harmful, and irresponsible statement," says political scientist and former State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Paata Zakareishvili.
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According to the political scientist, isolating one episode of the conflict and placing all the blame solely on the Georgian side is unjustified, as the conflict did not start in 2008, and Russia has been the aggressor from the very beginning.
"Ivanishvili visits Gori and doesn't even mention the bombing of the city. If I were a resident of Gori, how could I vote for such a man? Who bombed my city? Who destroyed my home? Who killed the people of Gori? Even if we were talking about the defense of Tskhinvali, what did Russian aviation have to do with Gori? Ignoring Russia's role in this conflict and placing all the responsibility on Georgia while practically apologizing to Russia is entirely unacceptable. He will also lose the support of his own voters because such lies and unjustified blame for the events of 2008 solely on the Georgian side will be unacceptable to them as well."
Zakareishvili fears that "burying" such topics during the elections will jeopardize reconciliation efforts.
"It's absurd, delusional - they have no idea what they're dealing with. The people who crafted these statements are not even interested in resolving the conflict. For them, it’s equivalent to promising a pension increase, which only demonstrates their irresponsibility.
"They have completely destroyed the concept of reconciliation. Reconciliation may involve an apology, but in politics, an apology is not a moral concept; it has political and pragmatic aspects. If you're walking down a road and the bridge is broken, you can’t cross unless the bridge is rebuilt. When the conflict is being resolved, the process continues, and at some point, one party may need to apologize while the other party accepts the apology. This helps to rebuild the bridge, move forward, and eventually reach the bridge. In such cases, the apology is a political act. Some may not even seek an apology, but it must be purely pragmatic and nothing more.
Who is even waiting for an apology here? When he apologizes, Osma should respond by saying, 'We accept the apology and are ready to take steps forward.' But is the groundwork laid? It’s not.
That’s why this apology is, at best, an empty gesture, and at worst, it justifies Russia's aggression, occupation, and all the violations of international law committed by Russia," Zakareishvili says.
The former president of the de facto Republic of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, responded today to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s statement. "Georgia should recognize the independence of South Ossetia, sign all necessary agreements that guarantee peace and the non-renewal of hostilities, and at the same time, raise the issue of the return of Truso, Gudo, and other Ossetian valleys occupied by Georgia," he said.
