If the diplomatic mission with the Russian Federation had been strengthened, it would have been possible to avoid the war – this is how General Mamuka Kurashvili responded to a question from one of the members of the temporary investigative commission, Ilia Injiya, regarding the August war, asking whether he believed there was a chance to avoid "this tragedy."

In response to the question, Mamuka Kurashvili stated that it was possible before August 1, but after that date, it was unimaginable.

"If the diplomatic mission had been strengthened before then, it certainly [could have been done]. Georgia had strong diplomats who could have been activated with the Russian Federation, but after August 1, it was already out of the question. You, as a politician, probably view the broader picture, but from my perspective, based on where I was and what I saw in the conflict zone, it seemed unimaginable. Before then, diplomatic missions could have been activated, which would have had a positive impact on the conflict zone.

Russia's continuation of its policy was war. They continued their policy with war against Georgia, and from that, I believe a strong diplomatic corps should have been activated, and a better result could have been achieved,” said Mamuka Kurashvili, adding that, in response to a clarifying question, he reiterated that strengthening the diplomatic mission had to happen before August 1, because "the situation should not have reached that point."

For reference, today’s commission session is discussing the situation in Georgia’s occupied territories from 2004 to 2008 and the August 2008 war.