Press Digest 31.10.2014
Alasania’s chance – “he will make the only right decision if he bows out from his post and runs in the coming elections alone”
The party must cleanse itself of some members. However, a complete reshuffle cannot be expected at this point in time -- Davit Lortkipanidze
I will sacrifice everything, not only my post but also my life, to defend my faith and Church – Sandro Bregadze
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Alasania’s chance – “he will make the only right decision if he bows out from his post and runs in the coming elections alone”
"Georgian Dream Coalition split in two parts and dubious fate of the Defense Minister – these are the repercussions of the Government’s move to apprehend those presiding over Georgia’s Defense Ministry. However, it would be interesting to know whether or not the issue of the Minister’s accountability should be raised. The members of the Coalition hold absolutely different views in relation to this question. If some say that this incident will not be lived down easily, others simply exclude the possibility of raising the issue of the minister’s political accountability. As for political experts, they expect Mr. Alasania to move to the left-wing party and run in the elections alone,” reports the Rezonansi gazette.
“As you know, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office has apprehended the high officials as follows: Former Head of the Department of State Procurement, Gizo Glonti, Head of Joint Staff J-6 Communications and Information Technology Department, Nugzar Kaishauri, Head of the Division of State Procurement Department of Defense Ministry, Giorgi Lobjanidze, Senior Specialist of State Procurement Department of Georgia’s Defense Ministry, Archil Alavidze and Head of the Division of the Department of Communications and Information Technologies of Georgia’s military forces Joint Staff J-6, Davit Tsipuria. As the Prosecutor’s Office informs, the afore-listed authorities face embezzlement charges as they have been accused of squandering 4.102, 872 GEL from the state budget while in office. It would also be interesting to note that the NATO member countries have taken intense interest in this incident,” reads the article.
“As the Ministry of Defense informs, Deputy Minister Mikheil Darchiashvili has passed detailed information regarding the detention of the top officials to the representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and declared that the Ministry urged them to declassify the documents and has expressed complete readiness to get involved in a transparent and open cooperation with any interested body. The U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Richard Norland, has responded to this incident by stressing that the U.S. authorities do place confidence in Irakli Alasania and the team of Georgia’s Defense Ministry. “Holding a transparent investigation is a must. We do approve such investigations; however, as always, this time too we call upon the Georgian authorities to conduct an investigation which will be in full compliance with the rule of law and the highest standards of justice,” announced Mr. Norland.
The members of our Government have given different kinds of evaluation to this incident – the Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexi Petriashvili and Foreign Minister, Maia Panjikidze, fully excluded the possibility of raising the issue of Irakli Alasania’s political accountability,” reads the paper.
“Although as Head of Georgia’s legislative body, Davit Usupashvili, claims, the scandal that has been whipped up because of the apprehension of Georgia’s top officials will not be lived down so easily -- if the charges against the high officials are established to be well-founded, they will have to serve their term in prison. However, if it turns out that these indictments are ungrounded, then the indictors will be punished.
"The reputation of our Defense Ministry as well as the military sphere has already been dragged through mud and it does not matter whether the crime has been really committed as charges have already been filed against our high officials. We must follow the process immensely carefully and must see through the investigation under any circumstances. I, as the Head of the Government, consider that this case concern me personally,” stated Mr. Usuapshvili and added that the Parliament will use all levers in its hands to see through this case and avoid such unpleasant incidents in the future,” concludes the author of the article.
"Political expert Giorgia Kveselava is not surprised in the slightest that the Minister of Europe and Euro Atlantic Integration as well as the Foreign Minister of Georgia have taken sides with Mr. Alasania and both have ruled out that he can have something in common with this crime. As per the expert, if the former is Alasania’s team member, the latter is his relative… In Mr. Kveselava’s opinion, Mr. Usupashvili’s statement has a hidden connotation as per which the Prosecutor’s Office or this or that branch of the Government are trying to set up Alasania and hold him responsible for an uncommitted crime.
“We should not jump at hasty conclusions and should restrain from making comments regarding this issue before the investigators dig up the truth. If they establish that the crime has been really committed, Mr. Alasania can easily turn out to be innocent as these people could have acted independently. However, if they prove that Alasania was on top of the situation but did nothing to stop the criminals from perpetrating the crime, the issue of his political accountability must obviously be raised… Anyway, Mr. Alasania will take the only rational decision if he steps down and runs in the coming elections alone. As today the Government simply lacks a strong and constructive political force,” concludes the expert.
The party must cleanse itself of some members. However, a complete reshuffle cannot be expected at this point in time -- Davit Lortkipanidze
"It’s obvious that in order to realize their intentions, the Nationals are following the scenario which they have drawn up in advance, and they are not even interested in what their people will think regarding them. For the last two days, they seemed immensely excited; they are energetically claiming that the country is being dragged into a ditch as the present authorities are taking steps backward. They hold the present government responsible for everything, for Russia’s taken steps, for its determination to grab Abkhazia and, most importantly, they are now planning to hold a rally and along with the Georgian patriots pour onto the streets to denounce the Government. What is now happening in the Parliament is simply ridiculous; they have already crossed the line,” states member of the majority, Davit Lortkipanidze in his interview with the Alia gazette.
“Today, in Georgia, the National Movement is the only force that must quiver with fear – if they don’t come to their senses, the surge of anger from the outraged Georgian people may be easily directed against them. And the only power or organizations on which they will prove to relay will be satellite NGOs and satellite parties. Which right-thinking person or normal and settled political force will join the Nationals’ protest event today? How can a normal man have a desire to pin them down on their future plans? Now they are simply posing as patriots that are concerned with their country’s fate and future. However, their profligate government was totally founded on terror and corruption; they systematically broke the law, depleted the country’s budget and terrorized their own people at every turn,” declares Davit Lortkipanidze.
“The Nationals are very elusive; they are trying to head off our questions and avoid contact with us. However, one of them told me that their words are immediately turned into deeds. To his ridiculous words, I remarked that I was not going to argue about this as I knew perfectly well that no one on earth can compete with them in airing vile words and performing misdeeds; however, I added that nothing is perpetual and their must back down too by stopping to stir the situation in the country. This vicious force is interested neither in Abkhazia nor in Samachablo; their prime objective is to retake the power,” claims the respondent.
To the question what he thinks regarding the Georgian Dream Coalition and the alleged necessity to purge the body of some members, Mr. Lortkipanidze replies:
"Some people must be chased out from the body; some must retain their posts. Anyway, this issue must be settled by the executive secretary. The party must cleanse itself of some members. However, its total reshuffling cannot be expected at this point in time. Everything must be set in order here though. Many members of the body do not really deserve to be comfortably nestled on their posts. Reshufflings are expected to last here until April, 2015.
I will sacrifice everything, not only my post but also my life, to defend my faith and Church – Sandro Bregadze
"Stomach-churning rumors have reached my ears recently. As these rumors have it, the National Movement has ordered a Mr. Macharadze to typecast the Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia, Ilia II, as a traitor, robber and an archenemy of the Georgian nation. And as it appears, it’s my turn now – they want me to resign; however, I cannot get how the Patriarch can be a betrayer or why I must bow out from my post,” states Deputy Minister of State, Sabdro Bregadze, in his interview with the Akhali Taoba gazette.
“I cannot speak for others but for me personally any man who dears to label the Cathalicos-Patriarch of all Georgia, his Holiness and Beatitude, as a nemesis of his country and people is a spiritual son, an heir of Sergo Orjonikidze and Philipe Makharadze. To me such a man is also a follower and staunch adherent of the Bolsheviks that in dark 1920s shot the ecclesiastic servants and religious leaders. At the same time, I will stress here that if they try to blacken the reputation of a leader of this or that religion by vilifying and casting aspersions on him, I will be the first who will defend these people. Everyone knows perfectly well that Caesar's wife must be above suspicion, and no one on earth has the right to besmirch the reputation of our spiritual father. By insulting the pious people’s religious feelings and by riding roughshod over their rights, the representatives of our NGOs are really aggravating the situation in the country, and by doing this, they are naturally committing a terrible crime,” maintains the respondent.
To the question why they want him to step down the respondent answers:
“How can I know this? Even today they are alleging that I am threatening someone; however, they have failed to fortify this allegation with arguments so far. They simply asked me how I would react if I encountered the man who defined the Patriarch as a traitor and I said that I had no idea what I would have done if I came across that shameless Matcharadze in the street by accident. Is this a threat? What else could I have said? Could I have said that I would bow before him and would meet him warmly?!
“Unlike some mercenary powers and thugs who are ready to commit high treason for the sake of money, I care neither regarding my post nor cash. As for our people, I would address them with these words: Be as dump as oysters, swallow all kinds of humiliation to retain your jobs; let them drag your Patriarch’s name through mud to remain comfortably nestled on your posts. As for me, I am not going to follow your lead. I have already said, and once again I am repeating that my moral principles are above everyone and everything and I will sacrifice everything, not only my post but also my life, to defend my faith and pursue my principles!” contends the respondent.
