Paata Manjgaladze: We must not assist the regime by participating in local elections or allowing all leaders to be isolated as quickly as possible

Will representatives of “Georgian Dream” meet with the senator? I don’t know; they are simply lunatics, and you can’t predict their actions. The tragedy isn’t about who meets whom or who doesn’t—it’s about ensuring Georgia isn’t harmed by all this, said Paata Manjgaladze, one of the leaders of “Strategy Aghmashenebeli,” on PalitraNews’ program “Day’s Newsroom,” commenting on the visit of U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to Georgia.

According to him, the senator is interested in the developments in Georgia.

“The senator’s visit to the country is very important. He represents the Foreign Relations Committee and the Republican Party—this is significant because he represents Trump’s party, meaning he is Trump’s representative. We, the ‘Resistance Platform,’ had a meeting with him. The senator is interested in what’s happening in Georgia. Everyone around us can see that the regime cannot maintain power through legal means. It violates the law and the constitutional framework every day. New crimes are being added to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s record. An example of this is Nika Melia’s abduction.

Georgian-American relations have never been at such a low point. This is a tragedy. The United States, a flagship of non-recognition and one of the guarantors of our security, is vital for Georgia. Even China is trying to improve relations with the U.S., and Russia is doing the same, yet Bidzina Ivanishvili is hiding from the U.S. ambassador in Georgia—this is somewhat incomprehensible to me. Will ‘Georgian Dream’ representatives meet [the senator]? I don’t know; they are simply lunatics, and you can’t predict their actions. The tragedy isn’t about who meets whom or who doesn’t—it’s about ensuring Georgia isn’t harmed by all this,” Manjgaladze stated.

Additionally, Manjgaladze addressed the issue of the detention of opposition politicians during the program, noting that “Georgian Dream’s” goal is to isolate leaders as quickly as possible “to clear the way for the so-called local elections.”

“The line of strategic confrontation isn’t about bail disputes. The line of confrontation is about how active we are in resisting and how ready we are to sacrifice everything for freedom and a better future. The regime’s goal is to isolate leaders as quickly as possible to clear the way for the so-called local elections. We must not assist the regime by participating in local elections or by allowing all leaders to be isolated as quickly as possible,” Manjgaladze stated.