On January 18, Nika Melia, the United National Movement (UNM) chairman, said that although he had cooperated with Davit Kezerashvili [the Minister of Defense of Georgia] for a few months, cooperation and control are two different things.

According to him, a civilized struggle is happening inside the party, a confrontation between old and current approaches. "In my deep belief, together with many of my associates, I will be confronted by the 'bad' one, which I think will never become an alternative to the regime represented by the Georgian Dream. Fighting the Georgian Dream means demonstrating to society that we are far more correct and have a far more orderly value system. This is a value struggle. A civilized struggle is going on within the party. Yes, today, the conflict is not between old and new; it is a conflict between old and new approaches," he added.

Melia stated, "I believe that Levan Khabeishvili [UNM MP] is not my competitor in this case." "From the very first day, I have not had any desire to have a personal confrontation with anyone, even more so in the ranks of my own party." According to Nika Melia, certain processes taking place in the National Movement were inspired, planned, and organized by Davit Kezerashvili and Vano Merabishvili [the former Prime Minister of Georgia].

"November 9 - the day when young people made a statement - they demanded elections. Then the older generation's representatives said they supported the young people as if they did not organize it. Good and promising young people were greatly insulted. Of course, Vano Merabishvili and Dato Kezerashvili were the main actors and performers on November 9. These processes were inspired, planned, and organized from start to finish by these two people, and that is the truth. After being released from prison, I had been cooperating with Kezerashvili for several months, but cooperation and control are two different things. The desire to cooperate with the party and the desire to control it are two different things," said Melia.

He said he ended the relationship with Davit Kezerashvili after being convinced that Kezerashvili wanted to rule the National Movement party informally. According to him, Davit Kezerashvili did not wish for one of the party's members to be the party's face. "When, in the case of Davit Kezerashvili, I was convinced that he had the desire to bring informal influence on the party when he showed the ambition that someone should be the leader of the party and someone else should not be, I stopped communicating with him," said Melia.

Girchi MP: "This stage of the political game should end in Georgia"

Girchi MP Iago Khvichia stated that the Georgian people are tired of this never-ending "Santa Barbara" between Georgian Dream and National Movement, culminating in Mikheil Saakashvili's imprisonment and the fact that the party cannot save its leader from prison.

According to him, this stage of the political game should end in Georgia, and a more interesting process should begin, the precondition of which is the disintegration of the National Movement.

Georgian Dream MP: "I felt sorry for Melia"

On the same day, Georgian Dream MP Irakli Zarkua said, "Looking at them, I think we will be in power at least until 2030! Of course, society will decide, but everyone was convinced that the Georgian Dream, despite its flaws and flaws, is the force guided by Georgia's interests."

According to him, none of the candidates for the chairmanship of the National Movement has the resources to make changes. "I listened to Nika Melia yesterday. To tell the truth, I felt sorry for this person. It seems he is in trouble. It has been confirmed once again, and they have already admitted that they cannot change; they have the same handwriting—eavesdropping, blackmailing each other, etc. As a result of this process, Georgian society will win and has already won," Zarkua said.