President steps back
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, September 12
Giorgi Margvelashvili will not go to the United States to attend the UN meeting. Prior to the release of this information, the president met with Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze. In the backdrop of this ongoing drama, the president was called a “stubborn child”.
Meanwhile the former PM Bidzina Ivanishvili gave an interview to Kvriris Palitra newspaper, where he spoke about the current government’s activities. He named the most vivid shortcoming of the current government and made a critical comment about President Giorgi Margvelahsvili’s recent activities over the UN gathering in New York.
Ivanishvili claims that the President Giorgi Margvelashvili takes the government as his rival and opposes the cabinet’s activities.
He states that this damages Georgia and the country’s image and that the president should realize this.
“When two days passed from the inauguration ceremony and there was a misunderstanding between us, Margvelashvili’s position was the focus of the controversy, as he thought he should be a competitor of the government and the parliament. I told him it was wrong and his competitors were other problems. I said that we should have worked together, hand in hand and there should have been no competition. He did not change his mind. All his actions proves that he struggles against a competitor and this damages the country,” Ivanishvili says, adding that it was clear that Gharibashvili should attend the event as the gathering is presented by state leaders.
“The leader of our country is Gharibashvili, it is very simple to guess that he should take part in the event,” Ivanishvili stated, adding that the confrontation between the two leaders benefits only the United National Movement. On the other hand, Ivanishvili expressed his positive attitude towards the Prime Minister and said that the current government is effective. The only issue for which the Georgian Dream government deserved Ivanishvili’s criticism were high salaries and bonuses.
Responding to the negative statements made towards him, Margvelashvili stated that he has never taken steps that negatively affect the country and cause internal confrontation.
He stated that steps are being made against the president’s institute that might lead to the monopolization of power, as was the case under Saakashvili.
Margvelashvili stressed that the president cannot be someone’s rival, as he fulfils his constitutional obligations.
“None will provide a single example that I opposed legislative or executive bodies,” Margvelashvili said.
