Georgian PM sums up first 100 days in office
By Sabina Idayatova
Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has summed up the first
100 days of his governance after his party won parliamentary
elections in October 2012.
The main achievement of the new government is the restoration of justice," he said at a briefing on Tuesday. "We have released 190 political prisoners from jails, more than 3,500 people were pardoned and also left prisons."
Ivanishvili also highlighted the success of the policy of reducing prices. A reduction in electricity fees by 21 per cent was provided and the price for fuel went down 10 per cent. Gas prices will also decrease by 10 per cent in February, with a further reduction planned. Also, a significant reduction was achieved in the prices of pharmaceuticals, according to Ivanishvili.
With regard to the political situation in the country, Ivanishvili said it is necessary to maintain a balance to avoid emergence of a one-party system. At the same time he does not see a real political force outside the Georgian Dream coalition.
"I think the current alleged opposition, [United] National Movement, will be able to prolong its existence before the presidential elections or elections to the local government in 2014," he said, adding, however, that "this party has no prospects".
Ivanishvili said nevertheless that he will not allow the strengthening of only his Georgian Dream party.
"My coalition partners say that with the pace with which we are
now building our party, we are leaving our associates behind. And I
think we will do everything possible to prevent the strengthening
of only one party," he said.
Ivanishvili`s foreign policy
Referring to foreign policy Ivanishvili said at the briefing that he has taken the right course and cannot understand the criticism of opponents.
"Georgia has to follow the path which is the best for the
country. We are committed to the foreign policy toward the EU and
NATO, but we have started in parallel to improve our relations with
Russia," he noted.
Ivanishvili said the Europeans are seriously concerned about the
future of the EU. "Of course, the EU and NATO can fall apart, but
today they are the most stable entities and for us accession to
these organizations is very important. NATO is the most stable
security system," he said.
According to Ivanishvili, his dream is to see Georgia as a member of the European community in 20 years. But he said "a lot has to be done for this, and above all, the economy has to be developed".
"Of course the probability of Georgia's refusal from integration into Europe and NATO is very low and in my opinion insignificant. This is possible, but I do not think it can happen any time soon, in the coming decades," he said.
Russian-Georgian relations
Ivanishvili called the latest visit of the Georgian delegation to
Russia a breakthrough and mentioned the "successful talks" on the
return of Georgian products to the Russian market.
"These negotiations showed that the former Georgian authorities themselves blocked the entry of Georgian products to the Russian market," he said.
Ivanishvili stressed that the opening of the Russian market will develop agriculture.
"We have received very positive responses from our largest
neighbor and hope to establish friendly relations with Russia and
restore our territorial integrity," he said.
According to Ivanishvili, the new government has also managed to
establish good relations with the U.S.
Ivanishvili said that the U.S. is Georgia's partner and
rigorously supports Georgia's territorial integrity.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said at the Munich Security
Conference last week that the U.S does not agree with Moscow on all
issues, citing as an example the Georgian occupied territories.
Georgia and Russia have maintained no diplomatic relations since a brief war in 2008. Tbilisi broke off relations with Moscow in August 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over the two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the breakaway regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.
Integration of local Azerbaijanis
Ivanishvili wants to see maximum integration of Georgian
Azerbaijanians into the Georgian society.
"Azerbaijanis are first-class Georgian citizens and should hold leading positions not only in the local government, but also should hold positions of ministers and other key senior officials," he said.
"A situation where Azerbaijanians do not serve as heads of local administrations in the regions with their dense settlement cannot be tolerated, and we will create all conditions for ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia to be able to enjoy every right of being a citizen, without any restrictions."
Ivanishvili said he had a number of meetings with Azerbaijanis during the pre-election period.
"Azerbaijanis are open and hard-working people, and we must do everything to integrate them into society. This is their country and they should have the same rights as Georgians," Ivanishvili said.
İvanishvili also promised to return the alienated territories to their owners in the regions densely settled by Azerbaijanis. He said the process is currently being launched and the government would resolve the matter fairly, adding, "I know that during the privatization of land, our Azerbaijanis were wrongly hurt."
Ivanishvili recalled his visit to Baku and said "we are focused on the development of our relations, as Azerbaijan is a close and friendly country."