Saakashvili vows to reunite Georgia – fuller version
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
4 Jul 05
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has pledged that the separatist
conflict in South Ossetia will be resolved “very quickly”. In a speech
at the Georgian Technical University on 4 July, he said that the
success of last year’s “revolution” in Ajaria reinforced his belief
that no challenge was too big and that Georgia would eventually also
regain control of its other breakaway region, Abkhazia. To allay
widespread fears in Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda districts, which are
populated almost exclusively by ethnic Armenians, about unemployment
following the departure of Russian troops from the area, Saakashvili
announced that farmers in these two districts would have a monopoly on
food supplies to the Georgian armed forces. He also announced measures
to fight organized crime, which, he said, had “spread to all spheres
of life without exception”. The following is an except from
Saakashvili’s speech, broadcast live by Rustavi-2 TV; subheadings
inserted editorially:
Late PM Zhvania helped Saakashvili enter politics
[Saakashvili] Good evening. I am very pleased to see you all here. It
is a great honour for me to unveil the Zhani Kalandadze auditorium at
the Georgian Technical University this evening.
Zhani Kalandadze was governor of Guria [who was killed in a road
accident in May]. He was one of the most brilliant representatives of
Georgia’s new generation. Just as Zurab Zhvania [late Georgian prime
minister] in the past opened the way for many politicians, including
myself, into Georgian politics, I am proud that I created an
opportunity for Zhani and many of his friends – we created this
opportunity and we are still creating such opportunities every day
because these doors are open to everyone – to realize their
potential. [Passage omitted]
Fighting organized crime
There have always been two kinds of mentality in Georgia. Political
struggle is a normal phenomenon. When people quarrel or even swear at
each other because of their political convictions, this is part of a
normal democratic process. However, when people are ready to stoop to
anything, even harm their own country, just because they do not like
Saakashvili, [Education Minister Kakha] Lomaia or someone else, this
smacks of something completely different. This is about us not having
a tradition of statehood. [Passage omitted]
We know that we are facing a fierce battle. We are not going to go
back on our promises. Since we said that we would fight corruption, we
will fight to the death in order finally to defeat it. This fight will
not cease even for a minute. Since we said that we would eradicate
organized crime, we will eradicate it. The past few days have shown us
that, despite several brilliant operations by Georgian police,
organized crime in Georgia has deep roots. It has spread to all
spheres of life without exception. It has sufficient power to
influence public opinion. It has spread to politics. When I saw the
politicians who took to the street to defend bandits, I was not
surprised to see some of them, but there were several whose presence
there shocked me personally. It could not believe it was possible.
I am saying this because we are not going to put up with this. Later
this week I will be sending a bill to parliament. I am using the
president’s right to initiate legislation. It is a Georgian bill on
the fight against organized crime that will punish criminals not only
individually – all countries punish killers – but the way it is done
in America, Italy and other countries that have faced similar
problems. Membership of an organized crime gang will be punishable.
You know that that there are kingpins in some areas. Some young people
who, unfortunately, are involved in this because of social problems
look up to them as an example to follow. Anyone found guilty of being
an area kingpin will go to prison. Crime bosses will automatically
find themselves in prison, irrespective of whether or not they are
personally involved in theft and extortion. We will starve organized
crime of oxygen. We will adopt a law that our country needs. You want
to be a so-called tough guy and member of an organized crime gang, you
can do it, but only in a Georgian prison, not as a free person in any
part of Georgia.
Ethnic Armenians to supply food to Georgian troops
That is one initiative we will propose. Second, we must understand
that there are very important issues we need to address. That is what
we discussed today with the defence minister. Russian troops will soon
withdraw from Georgia, so this is the other plan we have drawn up. You
know that the population of Javakheti – in Ninotsminda and Akhalkalaki
– has always been wary of it [Russian troop withdrawal] because they
are the military base’s suppliers. This is their livelihood. Two
thousand Russian military personnel buy Ninotsminda and Akhalkalaki
potatoes, milk, cheese and other produce, helping local people to make
ends meet. Naturally, they always had fears that they could face
problems once the Russian base went.
Today, together with the Georgian defence minister, we have decided
that all 20,000 military personnel of the Georgian armed forces –
catering standards in our army are now better than they are at this
military base – will be fully supplied with agricultural produce by
residents of Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda. We will buy this produce in
Ninotsminda and Akhalkalaki, so that none of our citizens of Armenian
origin or any person living there has any concerns about the loss of
income because the Georgian state is growing stronger in the area and
foreign influence is weakening.
No challenge is too big
Naturally, there are many problems in Georgia. What I have mentioned
are just some of our problems. Almost half of Georgia’s population
lives below the poverty line set in accordance with European
standards. That is a catastrophic problem. You know that there are
people who are still unable not only to go to university but even go
to school. However, there are two ways of looking at things.
[George] Bernard Shaw used to say: There are people who see things and
say, why? But there are also people who dream things and say, why not?
Zhani Kalandadze and all of us belong in the group of people who say,
why not? You know that we have been answering this question all the
time. When last year masked gunmen prevented the Georgian president
from crossing the Choloki [river] and entering Ajaria, it all looked
like an impossible dream. At the time, many politicians and political
pundits who are active today were saying that it was impossible, that
the situation was terrible, that there was no hope for the future and
that it was impossible to solve this problem quickly. All attempts to
solve it were described as deliberate acts of provocation and excesses
of revolutionary zeal by the Georgian government. What Georgia
witnessed in Batumi on 5 May when we arrived there on the first
anniversary of the Ajarian revolution, when the whole of Batumi was
celebrating in the streets, was indeed a dream come true.
South Ossetia conflict to be settled “very quickly”
Is it not a dream come true, for example, that at the end of this week
in Batumi, in rooms where they for years discussed future plans for
Georgia’s disintegration, we will be holding a conference, together
with our citizens of Ossetian origin, on a peaceful settlement of the
conflict in the Tskhinvali region? I promise you, as president of
Georgia, that this conflict will also be resolved very quickly.
When all this was happening in Ajaria last year, people in the first
group kept complaining, whereas we were saying, why not, everything
would be fine. That is how it worked out in the end. [Passage
omitted]
Energy problems to be resolved
Georgia is currently facing energy problems. You know that all our
power facilities were run down for many years. Yet, every family in
Georgia needs electricity. Until recently, the majority of analysts
thought this would be impossible. I say to you that this is
possible. Why not? We need to work on it and we will achieve it.
Pessimists proved wrong over Russian troop withdrawal
Or, for example, last year people were saying that we should accept
that Russian troops would not leave. They kept telling us that we
should understand that such issues could not be decided in Georgia,
that Georgian diplomats could not deal with them and that such issues
were decided somewhere else, I don’t know where. We said, why not,
this would be decided in Georgia and we would stand together and
achieve this. We have done it: an agreement has been signed and the
process has begun.
Abkhazia will “most definitely” be reclaimed
Or take, for example, people who do not believe in their own country
and say that [reclaiming] Abkhazia is impossible. I recently attended
a conference in Monaco where I received a prestigious award. I can
tell you, without any false modesty – you know that we, Georgians, are
fond of saying that we are the best, which is good – that Bichvinta
[Georgian name for Pitsunda, a sea resort in Abkhazia] and Gagra [in
Abkhazia] as well as, by the way, Kvariati and Gonio [Ajarian sea
resorts] are certainly nicer places [than Monaco], providing they are
well looked after. When I said this to one or two of my compatriots
who accompanied me there, they said, come on, Bichvinta and Gagra may
well be better, but when will Bichvinta and Gagra be [under Georgian
control again]? This is not possible.
Why not? Most definitely, yes. Most definitely, we will achieve
this. I saw a roadside poster today saying that Abkhazia is causing us
pain. Of course it is, but we should not just be writing that it is
causing us pain. Forget about pain, let’s take down these posters, get
ready and get strong instead of constantly grieving over our pain and
distress and the tragedy that has befallen us. All that could have
befallen us has done so. It is now time to get back on our feet and
improve.
Georgia to emerge as “developed European country”
I would particularly like to say this today: can Georgia ever be a
developed European country? Together with Zhani Kalandadze and each of
you, who are the best part of Georgian society and its best young
representatives – I would like to say on Zhani’s behalf and on your
behalf, why not, it certainly will.
Thank you very much. [Applause]