Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili says “This war is a punishment for Ukraine”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told the media on April 3 that he “anticipated on February 25 that Ukraine would be oppressed and punished by this ongoing war “, and unfortunately, there is nobody to stop this.

According to the Prime Minister, leaders of nations that have the ability to end the conflict should do everything they can to do it as quickly as possible.

“What is going on in Ukraine today is profoundly worrying for all of us.

“Cities have vanished from the face of the world, and many citizens have died as a result of this ongoing war. And these terrible incidents are still going on today. Several territories of Ukraine have been occupied by Russia. Unfortunately, we can see that no one has been able to stop it so far. I was talking about this: if anybody in this ongoing war suffers and is punished, it is Ukraine.

Any patriotic administration must do anything possible to stop the war. What we want is stability, peace and development, and this is what our nation wants currently. I act in this spirit, with this responsibility”, said Garibashvili.

Meanwhile, several journalists asked Garibashvili why government officers did not come to attend the funeral of the Georgian volunteers slain in the war in Ukraine. In response to this, he said, “Stop speculating on the deceased people”.

At the same time, he offered condolences to the victims’ families, saying that “the state has taken all the necessary measures to ensure that they are buried with respect and military honours, as befits those who fought for our nation, Georgia.”

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at least 4 Georgian volunteers have died in Ukraine.

The deceased volunteers are Gia Beriashvili, David Ratiani, David Gobejishvili and Bakhva Chikobava. The bodies of Beriashvili, Ratiani and Gobejishvili were brought to Georgia, but Bahva’s body has not yet been brought back.

The funeral of the 4 Georgian volunteers was attended by just only Tbilisi’s Mayor Kakha Kaladze. None of the government members publicly expressed their grief.

“The authorities’ condolences in connection with the loss of Georgian fighters in Ukraine might have a stimulating impact on others,” Mamuka Mdinaradze, a deputy from the ruling Georgian Dream party, stated.