UNM announces large-scale rally
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, October 27
The United National Movement has announced a large-scale rally that will take place on November 15 on Rustaveli Avenue.
According to one of the members of the party, Zurab Japaridze, the protest event aims at delivering an extremely important message to the international community and to show them that Georgia will never gear itself to ethnic cleansing in the breakaway region of Abkhazia.
“Georgia will never resign itself to ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia and will always struggle against Russia’s move to annex our territory. As long as our government has adopted a lax position and is doing nothing to make the international community push this paramount issue at the top of its agenda, we decided to hold a protest,” announced Japaridze.
One of the leaders of the National Movement party, Davit Bakradze called upon all interested political parties and individuals to stand together.
Bakradze stated that Russia recently ramped-up its efforts to annex Abkhazia from Georgia. However, by purging the region from Georgian, it attempted to occupy Abkhazia in as early as 1992, and today it is doing the same in an absolutely peaceful atmosphere. In Bakradze’s words, Russia is strongly determined to once and for all occupy the region legally.
Georgia’s non-parliamentary opposition - New Rights, the National Democratic Party and the European Democrats are ready to join the rally.
Commenting on the rally and appeal, member of the Georgian Dream coalition Eka Beselia stated that the UNM carries responsibility for the current developments in Abkhazia.
“They have no moral right to hold a rally on the issue. The UNM’s unreasonable policy is what led to the negative circumstances in the region,” Beselia said.
