Speaking in a televised speech before the Georgian army officers in courtyard of the Parliament in Tbilisi, Georgian President Saakashvili said on April 9 that he traveled to the Russian border earlier on April 9 and talked with some Russian citizens, including residents of the North Caucasus, entering into Georgia via Kazbegi-Zemo Larsi border crossing point.
"For them, the Caucasians, Georgia represents an embodiment of their multi-century dream about having a modern state in the Caucasus, wherein the idea of equality and freedom... plays a leading role instead of any ethnic group or religious," he said.
"The essence of Russian empire is fundamentally in conflict with nature of the Caucasians...
Georgia's current generation has seen what the freedom means and not only us, but those around us have also seen it; those Caucasians who enter into Georgia via Larsi have also seen it."
"Today Russian empire and its lapdogs are spending hundreds of millions in the West - in the United States and Europe, in order to stop [western] assistance to Georgia. But of course these [efforts] will fail to yield results, not only because Georgia's reputation is now as high as never before, but also because within Russia itself the public opinion towards Georgia is changing for good," Saakashvili said.
"That's why we need open borders, that's way we need development and more cultural exchanges, that's way we need more dialogue with those people, whose relatives and maybe fathers were killing here in Georgia our brothers and sisters; we will definitely find way towards that society, because like us, they too want freedom," he added.
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
Our button
print version
