PM participates in unity rally in Paris
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, January 13
Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili participated in the unity rally held on January 11 in Paris to show Georgia's support for France following the terrorist attacks that claimed 17 lives over three days in a spate of incidents.
"The tragedy united the whole world and revealed the power of unity,” Garibashvili said following the rally.
The Georgian PM participated in the rally alongside with more than 40 world leaders and emphasized Georgia’s solidarity with the French nation in these tragic moments.
"We have arrived here to express our solidarity to the French people. France is our ally, we remember France’s support in the course of the August War in 2008 (between Georgia and Russia). Today Georgia stands with France,” the PM said.
“Uniting against terrorism is a very significant and right solution,” Gharibashvili stressed.
Both Georgia’s opposition and the majority were unanimous in their support of France and said that an attack on the magazine was an attack on freedom of speech and expression.
Analysts welcomed the PM’s French trip. However, there was a group of analysts who condemned the terrorism act, but stated that the French people should have been more critical of the magazine which violated other people’s religious sensibilities.
It was reported that millions of people participated in the rally.
World leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joined the beginning of the march.
They observed a minute of silence before the march began.
"Paris is today the capital of the world. Our entire country will rise up and show its best side," President of France Francois Hollande said.
