UNM proposes four-point plan against Russia
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Thursday, March 20
Leader of the United National Movement (UNM) Davit Bakradze stated that the Georgian government should formulate concrete actions in background of the annexation of Crimea. Bakradze presented a four-point plan of action for Georgia during a press conference held on March 18.
According to Bakradze it is necessary to move from “general concern” to specific policy actions. Georgia must support all of sanctions that are applied by the civilized world against Russia. The government of Georgia has to take radical steps toward joining NATO and the EU. It must take a clear position that the chance of renunciation of Georgia is possible if the West and civilized world wins in the current confrontation. Moreover, Bakradze said the Georgian government must do everything to keep mentioning the Georgian issue together with the Ukrainian events.
“We should not allow anyone to forget that Russia did the same [to Georgia] six years ago, by illegally occupying two regions,” Bakradze said, stressing that as the main oppositional force the UNM is ready to take steps forward in this direction and calls on the government to do the same.
According to the international media, on March 18, Russian troops and unarmed men stormed Ukraine's naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Wednesday and raised the Russian flag in a tense but peaceful takeover that signals Moscow's intent to neutralize any armed opposition.
Shortly after the incident, Ukraine's acting Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said in Kiev that the country's forces would not withdraw from Crimea even though Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a treaty to make it part of Russia.
Georgian politicians and experts made statements in regard to the developments in Crimea.
At a special briefing on Wednesday, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said that Georgia is extremely worried about the situation in Crimea. “I can hardly remember taking territories by one country from another since World War II,” Margvelashvili said, adding that what Russia has done is unacceptable.
Georgian State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration, Alexi Petriashvili, stated that the world is re-approaching the period of the Cold War. “We can now see the signs of cold war renewal, which will affect everyone around,” Petriashvili said, encouraging the international community to take harsh steps against Russia.
According to UNM member Giga Bokeria, the world has already taken some actions to prevent a new Cold War, but still a lot of things still remain to be done so that Georgia should stand side by side with the civilized world.
