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Compiled by Keti Baramidze
Wednesday, April 14
Merabishvili could not have said what was published
Rusudan Kervalishvili says in an interview with Kviris Palitra: "I want the Interior Minister to tell us the truth and give us more accurate information about his interview. From my point of view his words were either misinterpreted or mistranslated. It’s unimaginable for the Interior Minister to say something like that. That’s why I doubt that this interview is accurate.
"As for relations with the occupiers, negotiations were being held with the opposite side even during the war and the possibility of exchanging prisoners is still under discussion. I repeat that the journalist must have misinterpreted his statements.
"I did not understand the purpose of the [fake] Kronika broadcast either, but the reality presented by this programme is believable. It’s true that we haven’t recovered from the trauma we received from the Russian aggression. That’s why we should take care of one another more.
"Georgian journalists have been working in the most dangerous zones for 20 years. They have gone through a war but still never made such a crude mistake as Imedi did recently," says Kervalishvili.
Tina Khidasheli: Too little time is left to adopt a common candidate
Tina Khidasheli says in an interview with Akhali Taoba, “As expected our opposition colleagues' appeals for unity have turned out to be false, and last week this was confirmed once again. However it should be mentioned that Subari’s last step (to offer to stand down in favour of a non-Alliance candidate) is what led Salome Zourabichvili to enter the Alliance. Zourabichvili has always supported Alasania but her enrollment in the Alliance has made this body more powerful.
"Unfortunately I can’t now see any way we can choose a common candidate unless our colleagues start to think that for the common wellbeing they should give others a chance. If even one of them decided to stand down in favour of another (in this case Irakli Alasania) we might get some positive result. But having a common candidate is really hard to imagine at the present moment as too short a time is left and all our resources for consultation are exhausted," says Tina Khidasheli.
"We have adopted a candidate who possesses support and goodwill. Irakli really has a chance to win. That’s why I think that if we accept this reality not only will we win but we will simplify the political scene.
"I have no grounds for beginning to doubt the IRI polls. The low rating of the opposition has a simple explanation however. The public, especially those who support the opposition, are intimidated by the Government and refuse to express their position. Such a situation has always existed and so the abovementioned polls are not of great importance for us. Our attention should be drawn to the fact that the public is terrorised and thus as dumb as an oyster," states Tina Khidasheli.
Asked what Levan Gachechiladze is likely to do in the Mayoral race, Khidasheli replies: I have no information about this and, to tell you the truth, I’m not interested. If he decides to participate in the elections he will join the long queue of Mayoral candidates and nothing more."
Rusudan Kervalishvili says in an interview with Kviris Palitra: "I want the Interior Minister to tell us the truth and give us more accurate information about his interview. From my point of view his words were either misinterpreted or mistranslated. It’s unimaginable for the Interior Minister to say something like that. That’s why I doubt that this interview is accurate.
"As for relations with the occupiers, negotiations were being held with the opposite side even during the war and the possibility of exchanging prisoners is still under discussion. I repeat that the journalist must have misinterpreted his statements.
"I did not understand the purpose of the [fake] Kronika broadcast either, but the reality presented by this programme is believable. It’s true that we haven’t recovered from the trauma we received from the Russian aggression. That’s why we should take care of one another more.
"Georgian journalists have been working in the most dangerous zones for 20 years. They have gone through a war but still never made such a crude mistake as Imedi did recently," says Kervalishvili.
Tina Khidasheli: Too little time is left to adopt a common candidate
Tina Khidasheli says in an interview with Akhali Taoba, “As expected our opposition colleagues' appeals for unity have turned out to be false, and last week this was confirmed once again. However it should be mentioned that Subari’s last step (to offer to stand down in favour of a non-Alliance candidate) is what led Salome Zourabichvili to enter the Alliance. Zourabichvili has always supported Alasania but her enrollment in the Alliance has made this body more powerful.
"Unfortunately I can’t now see any way we can choose a common candidate unless our colleagues start to think that for the common wellbeing they should give others a chance. If even one of them decided to stand down in favour of another (in this case Irakli Alasania) we might get some positive result. But having a common candidate is really hard to imagine at the present moment as too short a time is left and all our resources for consultation are exhausted," says Tina Khidasheli.
"We have adopted a candidate who possesses support and goodwill. Irakli really has a chance to win. That’s why I think that if we accept this reality not only will we win but we will simplify the political scene.
"I have no grounds for beginning to doubt the IRI polls. The low rating of the opposition has a simple explanation however. The public, especially those who support the opposition, are intimidated by the Government and refuse to express their position. Such a situation has always existed and so the abovementioned polls are not of great importance for us. Our attention should be drawn to the fact that the public is terrorised and thus as dumb as an oyster," states Tina Khidasheli.
Asked what Levan Gachechiladze is likely to do in the Mayoral race, Khidasheli replies: I have no information about this and, to tell you the truth, I’m not interested. If he decides to participate in the elections he will join the long queue of Mayoral candidates and nothing more."