Georgian Prime Minister refuses to stop using war in Ukraine in election campaign
Pravda Ukraine
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made it clear that his party would not give up using the war in Ukraine for its election purposes.
Source: Ekho Kavkaza, as reported by European Pravda
Details: During the election campaign, the Georgian Dream party created a series of street posters and a video picturing ruined Ukrainian cities in contrast to peaceful Georgian ones.
In response to criticism from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Irakli Kobakhidze indicated that he believes it is vital to compare the conflict in Ukraine to the peace in Georgia.
Journalists asked him how he would react if Ukraine used video from Sukhumi for electoral purposes [Sukhumi is the capital and largest city of the Georgian breakaway state of Abkhazia – ed.].
Quote: “I recall Ukrainians actively using these images for a variety of purposes, including humorous ones, but that’s another topic. Today, we are discussing the effects of the war in general and what we have avoided for our country in 2022,” he said.
Kobakhidze recalled the events of the August war of 2008 and accused the “Saakashvili regime” of starting the war.
“Yes, Russia occupied our territories, but the Saakashvili regime started the war. And now, if the National Movement party comes to power, they will open a second front in Georgia in a week.
Why did Russia not enter Georgia in 2022? Do you have an explanation? We saved it, yes! We saved Georgia, and if we had followed the requirements put forward by the highest officials of the Ukrainian leadership, Russian troops would have entered Georgia in 2022,” Kobakhidze said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in its statement regarding the advertising banners of the Georgian Dream ruling party, condemned and called unacceptable the use of images of the aftermath of Russia’s war against Ukraine in political advertising.
Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, produced banners with photos of the destruction caused by Russia in Ukraine and, in contrast, “normal life” in Georgia as part of its election campaign.
This is a series of similar posters and a video in which intact Georgian cities, fountains, and new buses are juxtaposed against videos of destruction in Ukraine.
Banner signatures call on voters to “choose peace” and “say no to war”. In certain regions, a snapshot showing the destruction is complemented with figures from opposition pro-Western parties’ electoral lists.
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