According to Vaso Urushadze, Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Direction of the “National Movement,” the problems faced by families evicted from a building on Tvatchrelidze Street in Tbilisi are “entirely the responsibility of the state from beginning to end.”

As he stated on PalitraNews’ program “Day’s Newsroom,” this is a result of flawed economic policy and corruption that has been ongoing in the country for many years.

“Clearly, it is the responsibility of the government that it fails to ensure economic prosperity and social policies in our country that would prevent people from illegally occupying private properties in search of housing and living in such dire economic and social conditions. This is entirely the state’s responsibility, as well as a consequence of wrong economic policies and corruption that has been happening in this country for many years. The government is obligated and responsible to protect the interests of its citizens, to be caring and protective, not oppressive, and not what we saw yesterday—this is not caring for citizens. The government should not act against its own citizens as if they were criminals, offenders, or terrorists. What we saw is not the behavior of a normal, humane state that cares about its citizens and their interests,” Urushadze stated.

In his assessment, the government does not adhere to the laws it has enacted regarding family values and the protection of minors. According to Vaso Urushadze, for the government, “this is merely a facade and fodder for propaganda.”

“If anything threatens families, their well-being, including the destruction of existing families and the failure to form potential families, it is economic hardship, economic problems, and the attitude the government has toward its citizens,” Urushadze stated.

Additionally, he commented on a statement by Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, who said, “It is unimaginable that you own a plot of land or a residential space in the region and then seize state land in the capital.” According to Vaso Urushadze, Kakha Kaladze is trying to evade responsibility.

“Let him return to Samtredia, to his ancestral land, without stolen or plundered money, and start life from scratch,” Urushadze stated.

Furthermore, Vaso Urushadze assessed the “Georgian Dream” government’s intensified efforts in fighting corruption, stating that the entire process of combating corruption is a sham and a farce.

“I think Irakli Kobakhidze and the government are a bit ‘confused,’ including in their messaging. On one hand, they come out and say that their former teammates were involved in corruption; on the other hand, they arrest their teammate, Romeo Mikautadze, who was the deputy minister of economy and oversaw one of the most critical sectors—energy. And thirdly, when it comes to Tornike Rijvadze’s suicide attempt, they say it wasn’t because he was involved in corruption or because government structures were investigating him, but rather because the media and opposition were talking about him as if he were involved in corruption, which led him to attempt suicide. On one hand, they confirm that Romeo Mikautadze was involved in corruption, and then they say Tornike Rijvadze simply couldn’t handle the stress directed at him by the opposition and opposition channels,” Urushadze stated.

Regarding the issue of the suicide attempt by Tornike Rijvadze, the former head of the Adjara government, Vaso Urushadze noted that it raises questions because this incident coincided with the imposition of sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili. According to Urushadze, the sanctions have a tremendous impact not only on Bidzina Ivanishvili but also on his entourage, family members, and those close to him.

“Ivanishvili views politics as if he is not a policymaker but rather the boss of a kind of ‘mafia clan.’ In his ‘clan,’ if anyone ever made money through his influence, it belongs to him. Therefore, the time has come when he decided to collect the money that was made using Bidzina Ivanishvili’s authority and influence,” Urushadze stated.