Fridon Injia, chairman of the European Socialist parliamentary group, believes that no mediator can better protect Georgia's interests in the world political arena than the Georgian government. Therefore, the "European Socialists" call on the Georgian government and the Prime Minister to start a direct dialogue with the Russian Federation. Fridon Injia made this statement during a live broadcast on the Georgian Times radio.
"I am telling the government that no mediator will do your job. You have to talk to anyone to protect the interests of your country… You do not know under what conditions the mediator spoke, where he put his interests. 13-14 years have passed since the events of 2008, in what have we moved forward, have the mediators done anything for us? "How long do we have to wait for this?" Said the MP.
Question: Why do the "European Socialists" think that the time has come for a direct dialogue with Russia, what do they dislike about the government and what are their positions, why did you decide to approach the government with this idea? You know, this will cause outrage in some parts of the community, because the population in its time made a plebiscite choice in the direction of the West and the Euro-Atlantic path. Are you saying now that the time has come for a dialogue with Russia? Why do we need Georgia as a whole?
- Fridon Injia: The situation in Georgia today is like this - will it survive or not. The political field and the situation around the world are changing so fast that we may find ourselves in a situation where the territory is geographical, but Georgia and Georgians, what we have had for centuries, are no more. You read how much we need to talk to Russia and at the same time NATO and the EU… Even such a question is inconvenient because NATO member states go to Russia and talk, the same Hungary, France, Germany… our interests as a Georgian man and a man dedicated to Georgia, Will not protect any country. We have been hoping for a mediator for a decade and we have not achieved anything, we are moving further and further away from restoring our territorial integrity. Can't you feel it? There is no person in Georgia who would say that Georgia is approaching the restoration of its territorial integrity. Friendship is one thing, but a solution is another. May be friends, but not for your sake… for example, I'm sure that when Emanuel Macron arrived and talked for 6 hours, do you think he talked about Georgia? Macron and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, if we had such an agreement, it would be a great relief. I tell the authorities that no mediator will do the work for you. If the mediator starts talking, he or she will talk first, based on his or her interests.
Question: In what format should we start a conversation with a country that has imperial intentions and has occupied a large area of our country for several decades?
- I have to talk to anyone in order to protect the interests of your country, it is impossible to talk about someone else, it is wrong… You do not know under what conditions the mediator spoke, what he talked about, where he put his interests. Ager 13-14 years after the events of 2008, in what did we move forward, did the mediators do anything for us? Anything before we have to be in this expectation? The West has its interests, I have my interests and I believe that the Georgian government can best protect these interests, which it does not do.
Question: The logic of the government is that ordering the population is a pro-Western course.
– ამას ვერ გეტყვით იმიტომ, რომ ისე შეიცვალა მდგომარეობა, ამასთანავე 13 წლის განმავლობაში ჩვენთან არაფერი შეცვლილა, აბა, ახლა შეეკითხონ მოსახლეობას… დაელაპარაკე იმას, ვინც წყვეტს, შენ კი არა მსოფლიოს ყველა ლიდერი ელაპარაკება.
Question: Do you want to hold a referendum again?
- Before the referendum, I believe that the interests of our country should be protected by our government without any mediators, as the government of any country that loves its country does.
The case of Ukraine is much easier because they have a contract. If he fulfills his contractual obligation, which is called for by almost all the countries involved in this matter, the country will survive. First of all, I am interested in restoring the territorial integrity of my country, then there will be economic progress, peace and everything we dream of, and for that I, as one person, will give up everything ომი War is not good for anyone, Russia is not good for war… France arrived first In the interests of his country he came to not touch anything. Because nuclear weapons, it is a danger, such a danger that no one will be victorious there. France is a big country, and its president Emmanuel Macron spoke for 6 hours. As for Germany, one does not know what they can negotiate with Russia. The whole world is divided, here China and Russia say that NATO should not expand.
Question: Who should meet Putin? - The Prime Minister, of course, is the first person in the executive branch.
Question: You say the Prime Minister should arrive in Moscow with Putin?
- No, start a dialogue. It will be up to them, by video conference how, it's their decision, it's the prerogative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There is no alternative to dialogue today. Georgia is in a worse situation than other countries - they do not have the problem of territorial integrity, but they still come and talk in the interests of their countries. We should talk first of all because Georgia is in a worse situation than them.
Question: With what data should the negotiations start?
- It is impossible to give a preliminary recommendation to the Prime Minister. In any case, dialogue is better than today knowing nothing about what they think. We know nothing, and we sit here for decades and rely on mediators that they will go and commit suicide for our sake ..?
Question: Was there any response from the government to the initiative you voiced? You have contact with the legislature, you have the opportunity to talk to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose direct competence is to raise these issues. Do you think that this conversation will start without Ivanishvili?
- It's their decision… As for the contact, I have not had any contact, even indirectly, neither I nor the members of my party's political council, and I am very interested in what their response will be. We are coming out of the fact that today there is no alternative to dialogue, and the dialogue must be conducted by a person with the power of the executive power of the country. Depending on what they talk about and what conclusions they come to, then it can already be discussed at the level of government, parliament, if necessary, a referendum may be needed, people do not know… so the situation changes, almost every minute. For example, when you talk about Ukraine fulfilling its commitments, Poland, France and Germany gathered in Berlin on the 8th and the first persons received such a request from the Ukrainian government to fulfill its obligations. This issue is the most important, then no one will have a claim to touch Ukraine in any way.