The Chairman of the Georgian Dream once again responds to [Yevgeny] Prigozhin’s [Wagner Group’s chief] rebellion attempt in Russia and evaluated the reaction of the Georgian opposition.

“I want to review the opposition’s response to what is called the 1-day gamble of the individual responsible for the Bakhmut massacre. On that day, we appealed to the opposition to observe the unfolding events calmly. Unfortunately, the radical opposition chose not to heed our advice.

We all remember how the collective United National Movement cheered and praised Prigozhin. They planned to enter Abkhazia, Tskhinvali, and even Sochi if he succeeded.

However, the main thing is neither solely about the UNM’s failure to analyze the events properly nor their coordinated actions and unreasonable demands placed upon the authorities.

Furthermore, it is not about the morality of their rhetoric or the fact that they saw a chance in the success of the author of the massacre in Ukraine. The most significant aspect of the radical opposition’s reaction to Prigozhin’s rebellion was their longing for a second front.

They couldn’t hide their willingness to seize the first opportunity to enter Abkhazia and Tskhinvali with tanks.

Once again, it has become evident that the collective UNM is a party of war and treason. Naturally, it is obvious UNM didn’t make these statements by chance; they acted on specific instructions.

Their patrons aim to establish a 2nd front, also to undermine any efforts towards rebuilding trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians.

On behalf of the Georgian Dream, we reiterate our unequivocal stance: Georgia’s territorial integrity must be restored through peaceful means alone.

Our objective is not only to reclaim Abkhazia and Samachablo and reunite them with a unified Georgia, but also to foster trust and reconciliation with our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers and sisters. The true value of restoring territorial integrity lies in this approach.

In the conditions of a second front, we would have to go to war not only with the [Russia’s] occupying forces, but also with Abkhazians and Ossetians, which should not be allowed under any circumstances.

It is unacceptable for Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians to spill each other’s blood once again. This would be a great crime to future generations. Whoever’s thinking is directed towards this, they are driven either by extreme imprudence or by enmity towards Georgia.

I believe that Georgia will definitely be unified, for which our country needs not a second front, but a pragmatic and rational peace policy, one that will not shake the trust between Georgians and Abkhazians, Georgians and Ossetians, but to restore trust. We do not need to go to war with each other, but to care for each other to build a united, prosperous state”, - writes Irakli Kobakhidze.