Ruling Team Supported Presidential Candidate Crosses Occupation Line
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, November 12
The Georgian Dream ruling party supported independent presidential candidate Salome Zourabichvili, who refrains from making comments for the media after she got nearly defeated by the opposition rival in the first round of 28 October elections, visited the Atotsi village near the occupied Tskhinvali region last Friday, where she crossed the occupation line at the site where Russia erected new barbed wire fences.
Zourabichvili stated in the village that the major pain of Georgia is the occupation and that her roles, “the role of the future president” will be to take steps to reintegrate the historic Georgian lands.
She also said that her one the first visits as the president will take place in Afghanistan, where Georgian soldiers are protecting international peace and security together with NATO members.
While in the village and making the statement, Zourabichvili was verbally abused by the United National Movement activist, who several times asked Zourabichvili- who started the war ? [referring to the Russia-Georgia 2008 war].
Zourabichvili did not answer the question and stated that she arrived in the village to see the situation and reveal her position and plans.
In her previous statements, Zourabichvili said that then-President Mikheil Saakashvili was provoked by Russia to start the Russia-Georgia war, despite the fact Saakashvili had been warned by allies not to get provoked.
Zourabichvili says that Russia has always been eager to occupy Georgian regions and through the “unreasonable” step Saakashvili gave them the reason.
The United National Movement opposition, its presidential candidate Grigol Vashadze and the party supporters believe that Zourabichvili had “no moral right” to come to Atotsi, as she “accuses her country of unleashing the war.”
Zourabichvili received 0.9 percent more votes in the first round of elections than Vashadze and the second round between the two will take place allegedly on 2 December, as none of them managed to receive mandatory 51 percent of votes in the first round.
