We are dealing not only with a mistake, but also with complete ignorance, when the government talks about the factors of price increases and blames it either on chain supermarkets or on the abundance of shops and pharmacies - if the government intends to declare some group as pests and criminals and thus indirectly, avoid its own crime, it should look for [the culprits] again in its own circle, - opposition politician Roman Gotsiridze stated on PalitraNews TV, thereby responding to the Prime Minister's initiative regarding food policy.

According to Gotsiridze, comparing the prices of products available in Georgian and German supermarkets is "nonsense", because 90% of the products available in Georgia are imported.

"We are dealing not only with a mistake, but with complete ignorance, when the government talks about the factors of price increases and blames it either on chain supermarkets, or, surprisingly, on the abundance of shops and pharmacies. Then it says that the situation is different in Germany or Austria. When comparing France, it is cheaper there than in Georgia, in France, approximately 80% of everything in a supermarket is French-made. 20% comes from the European Union, which is also a single market and there is no difference. EU goods are also local goods for any country, since there is free movement of goods, capital and labor.

It is absolutely nonsense that we are talking about the fact that there are fewer shops in Germany than in Georgia. You are comparing a country that has a GDP 7 times lower than Germany. How can you compare Germany, where everything is local in supermarkets, while 90% of the goods in our shops and supermarkets is imported.

Explaining the price increase by the abundance of stores is complete nonsense.

Oil importers have a deal between themselves. They finance the Georgian Dream, openly finance the party, and then bring in more money in suitcases. They maintain the families and party of the Georgian Dream. Then they finance activists for the elections. Who are these people? Who created this system? If this has been going on for 13 years, how much extra money has been taken from the pockets of our citizens? The Antimonopoly Service, which is a parasitic service, has not even once studied this issue.

By the way, the Georgian Dream were weak, incompetent, and unprofessional in their first term. Today they are not weak, today they are traitors, evil, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Oil importers are their [Georgian Dream] clan, they created monsters. Who are the owners of chain supermarkets? The absolute majority are financiers of the Georgian Dream and are part of their business clan. Whose is the pharmaceutical business? There is not a single pharmaceutical or factory or pharmacy chain that is not a donor of the Georgian Dream. The same goes for the healthcare business. If the government intends to declare some group as pests and criminals and thus indirectly avoid its own crimes, [it] should look for [them] again in its own circle,” Gotsiridze said.

According to Gotsiridze, the government’s initiative to regulate prices “is a campaign initiative that authoritarian regimes resort to and end in failure.”

In addition to this topic, Gotsiridze assessed the following statement made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the forum in Davos: “We have received a request to allow transit from Armenia to Russia. Currently, transportation is carried out through Georgia, but one day it will be carried out directly from Armenia through Azerbaijan.” According to Gotsiridze, Aliyev “hit Georgia on the head once again.”

“This is a very bad statement for Georgia and, first of all, for the guilty government. When you are in international isolation, when Trump invited dictatorial states to the Gaza “Peace Council”... Some even say that they are creating an alternative to the UN and telling the rich to invest $1 million. Lukashenko was invited, Aliyev was invited, Armenia too. They invited all countries, except Georgia. They will probably invite Turkmenistan soon. The country, which has been isolated internationally, has become weaker, we no longer have any friends in the West, in America, or in the European Union. Trump left Georgia out because it is in complete international isolation. A country weakened in all directions, left without friends and partners, will have problems in all directions. Yesterday, Aliyev hit [Georgia] on the head once again," Roman Gotsiridze said.