On November 18, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili answered questions sent to him by opposition MPs in the manner of interpellation in Parliament.

When asked how to lessen the nation's reliance on Russia for energy and the economy, Prime Minister Garibashvili began by criticizing the previous administration, claiming that it was they who instituted a visa-free policy for Russian citizens after the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war and transferred several strategic energy companies, facilities, and infrastructure to Russian state companies. The PM addressed the opposition and said, "After that, what right do these individuals have to talk to us about energy independence, national interests, or joining the [international] sanctions imposed on Russia?" Asserting that Mikheil Saakashvili was sent to Georgia specifically to start a revolution in Georgia before the 2021 local self-government elections, he further charged the opposition with attempting to harm the nation's economic and national interests. "Of course, they failed; failure is a given. Everyone will receive the most severe reaction. Nobody should be deluded, he warned, recalling how opposition colleagues in Ukraine encouraged the establishment of a second front. Representatives of the Ukrainian government are its ideologues, workers, and allies. They have these people as allies," he added. According to Prime Minister Garibashvili, they are not in power but were attempting to establish a second front here by any means necessary. "They would ultimately ruin the nation if they were in charge. They would turn it over to Russia, resulting in the loss of national sovereignty," he claimed.

Regarding former Georgian Dream (GD) members' statements, Prime Minister stated that the positions of Georgian Dream are distinct from those of previous GD members, and there are many disparities. Though he emphasized that "much more so the deputies, how can someone restrict this basic freedom?" he also stressed that every citizen of Georgia has the constitutional right to free expression. "They have a choice. I am unable to say further because we do not meddle in other people's affairs," he stated. "The Georgian Dream's leaders, including the prime minister, are required to maximally uphold and expand the country's current strategic ties with the US and the EU. We have excellent relationships with everyone in the area. My view is straightforward and unequivocal: we have strategic cooperation with the USA; this is a relationship that started after the nation won independence," PM Garibashvili stated, and he wished for more reasonable expressions to be made toward the US Ambassador.

About European Commission’s 12 recommendations, Prime Minister Garibashvili criticized the opposition while discussing the execution of the 12 recommendations made by the European Commission to become an EU candidate. He said that it is true hypocrisy on their part to raise this issue, given that a sizable portion of the opposition is not participating in the working groups formed for this reason. In the same context, PM Garibashvili reaffirmed that Moldova was awarded the status as an advance as a kind of encouragement since it is in a state equal to the conflict, unlike Georgia, which received candidate status because of the current war. He emphasized that no one could have imagined this and once more referred to the European Council's decision to award Georgia a European viewpoint as historic. "It was made quite clear that Georgia will join the European Union," he continued. "So, in my opinion, asking such a question is inappropriate unless the individual is genuinely antagonistic toward his nation. Everyone is aware of Georgia's primary justification for denying candidate status as an advancement," he claimed. 

Read also:

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Garibashvili on Russian Invasion of Georgia's Breakaways, Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations, Russo-Ukrainian War, and Georgia's European Path at UN General Assembly

Irakli Garibashvili on Economic Development, IDPs, and Single Euro Payments Area