Georgian Parliament speaker says reconciliation with South Ossetia to require mutual repentance

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili has said that reconciliation between the peoples of Georgia and South Ossetia implies, among other things, repentance and mutual forgiveness, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"The simple truth is that there is no goal higher than the restoration of our territorial integrity. That is the first point. The second point is that the restoration of territorial integrity will only happen through peaceful means. The third point is that a peaceful path implies reconciliation. And the fourth point is that reconciliation involves understanding the wounds we have inflicted on each other, the wounds that remain with us, the wounds we believe we have inflicted on each other, understanding all of this and, where necessary, expressing remorse, and where necessary, granting mutual forgiveness," Papuashvili said in response to a journalist's question about who Georgia will apologize to and in what form, and whether he is personally ready to offer an apology.

On September 14, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling party "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia," during a speech in the city of Gori, accused former President Mikheil Saakashvili of starting the war in South Ossetia under external influence.

He stated that after the parliamentary elections on October 26, "the instigators of the war will be condemned, and all those responsible for destroying Georgian-Ossetian friendship will face the strictest legal consequences."

Ivanishvili expressed confidence that Georgia would find the strength to apologize for the actions of Saakashvili's party, the "United National Movement," which in 2008 "engulfed our Ossetian brothers and sisters in the flames of war."

Ivanishvili’s remarks, suggesting that Georgia will apologize, sparked outrage among the opposition and parts of society, including the widows of soldiers who died in the 2008 war. Many citizens believe that with this statement, Ivanishvili effectively blamed Georgia for the war and diminished the heroism of the soldiers.