Sun Sep 15 14:21:38 UTC 2024: ## Georgia’s Ruling Party Leader Hints at Apology to Ossetians for 2008 War
**TBILISI** – Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party and a prominent figure in Georgian politics, has suggested that Georgia may apologize to the Ossetians for the 2008 war with Russia. The war led to Moscow recognizing two breakaway Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as independent states.
Speaking at a campaign event in Gori, a town briefly occupied by Russia during the war, Ivanishvili blamed the conflict on the “criminal regime” of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, accusing him of triggering the war on the orders of foreign powers.
Ivanishvili, a billionaire ex-prime minister, stated that following the upcoming October 26 elections, those responsible for instigating the war will face justice. He also suggested that Georgia would then offer an apology for the conflict.
Saakashvili, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power, has not yet commented on Ivanishvili’s remarks. However, his United National Movement party has condemned Ivanishvili’s statement, calling it a “national shame” that serves Russia’s interests and accusing him of treachery.
The 2008 war remains a deeply sensitive issue in Georgia, a country strategically located between Russia and the West. Georgia, aiming to join NATO and the EU, finds itself courted by both Russia and China, leaving the country at a crossroads as it heads into the upcoming election.
South Ossetia, a mountainous region north of Tbilisi, declared independence from Georgia in 1991-92 after a war that claimed thousands of lives. The region’s ethnic Georgian population was mostly expelled, and today, most South Ossetians are ethnically distinct from Georgians.
The 2008 war was triggered by a Georgian attack on South Ossetia’s capital, Tskhinvali. Russia responded with overwhelming force, prompting international condemnation. An EU-commissioned report concluded that Georgia initiated the war, but that Russia’s response was disproportionate.
Ivanishvili’s suggestion of an apology, though couched in the context of holding former officials accountable, raises significant questions about Georgia’s future relationship with both Russia and the West. It remains unclear what impact this statement will have on the upcoming elections and the future of the conflict-torn region.
First Piper 