Why now anyway?

I am sharing the Facebook status of Paata Sharashenidze. He is a member of the Untitled Winery and I don’t know how relevant his position is on this issue, but I found it interesting and look forward to your feedback:

"I don’t post on Facebook anymore. Not because I don’t have my own opinion, or I don’t want to share it with others, no, I just can’t stand the toxic environment here, the unhelpful criticism and hatred that permeates the Georgian Facebook space. But now I have to bear it, because I feel more danger not here, but outside, on the street, in the center of Tbilisi, on Rustaveli, where I have been almost only during rallies for the last 36 years. That’s why today I don’t have the right to stay in this comfort zone – to say nothing, write nothing, just ask and think.

From today’s point of view, it is clear: in 2012, Ivanishvili made at least 2 commitments to the Russians – 1. no criticism of Russia and its government and 2. no real steps in the direction of the European Union and NATO. But the war in Ukraine changed a lot of things. Due to our protest, Ivanishvili was forced to apply for candidate status. Also, due to protests, he took back the “Russian Law” last year, which was introduced to deny candidate status. (Also, Nika Gvaramia was arrested for refusing the candidate status from the European Union). But we got the candidate status.

The question arises – why did they introduce the Russian law again now, in April and not in November, when Dream would have won the elections and would have blocked the EU accession negotiations in December with the adoption of this law.

The point is that in July, at the Washington summit of NATO, a plan for the protection of Georgia in case of Russian aggression should have been announced. This plan included not only military assistance and the protection of Georgia’s maritime waters, but also the introduction of French, British and US troops into our country. To discuss these issues, Prime Minister Kobakhidze was summoned to Washington in early May, after which, of course, the American side demanded the suspension of this law. On this visit, Georgia refused, of course it refused to discuss the issues of protecting Sakathvelo in case of Russian aggression.

The introduction of this law has a specific purpose: Georgia should not be represented at the NATO anniversary summit in July.

We have a completely false idea that Ivanishvili and his team are crazy or inventing things. All those delusions about the Freemasons, the Global War Party are specially invented so that we cannot concentrate on the real reasons.

This treason, which is being carried out now, is unprecedented, today’s events cannot be compared to the treason of February 1921, it is on a much larger scale.

We have the only way – to fight. Let us recall the occupation of 1921, when 3000 Georgians died in resistance to the Russians. Exactly 20 years later, 700,000 soldiers were sent to war from Georgia, of which more than 350,000 died. So many Georgians have not died in any single millennium war taken together, maybe so many Georgians have not died taken together in all previous wars. Today, if the Russians get this plan through the hands of our government, I am sure that after 10 years Georgian soldiers will fight in the Russian army against any European country.

If this law is passed, we should forget the elections, there won’t be any elections, everything will be falsified and the protests will be suppressed. I am absolutely sure of that."