“April 9 is a day of unity, and in Georgia’s recent history there is no other day that is understood and agreed upon as deeply as the significance of April 9. This day is our past on which modern Georgia stands,” said Vano Tserteli, one of the leaders of the “Coalition for Change,” on PalitraNews’ program “Dghis Newsroom.”

According to the politician, “in the history of Georgia, no victory has ever been achieved without self-sacrifice, and April 9 is exactly such a day on which the Georgian nation and Georgia stand.”

“This day [April 9] is the last of such great victories. This day brought independence and freedom, which restored what we lost in 1921. This date requires a great warning. One of the creators of this day, Merab Kostava, together with Zviad Gamsakhurdia, warned us that ‘gaining independence is one thing, but it requires vigilance.’ Over 35 years, we have seen many attempts to lose our independence, and we still live in this reality today. This day is a day of unity, and in Georgia’s recent history there is no other day that is understood and agreed upon as deeply as the significance of April 9. Everyone talks about how there was no Georgian nation as united as one fist as it was in 1989–1991, before the civil war, and this is what modern Georgia stands on. This day is our past on which modern Georgia stands. The country we live in today was born on April 9, 1991, and without April 9, 1989, there would have been no April 9, 1991,” Vano Tserteli stated.

Regarding the appearance of the country’s top officials and government representatives at the memorial of those killed on April 9, which was met with noise and shouts from protest participants, the politician assessed that the government’s illegitimacy is evident in the fact that they cannot move without the help of the army, criminal elements, and police.

“At the memorial, there were people who had spent the night there, and no one had the idea of ‘not letting anyone from the government through.’ There were parents of detained people who wanted to talk to the so-called government and ask them why their children were in prison. The so-called government avoided these people, and we saw that before the noise started, they sent provocateurs who started a fight, after which the police followed them and formed a circle to ‘establish peace.’ All this shows that the government is illegitimate. The so-called government moves with the help of the army, criminal police, and police — this is clear evidence and confirmation that they have no legitimacy. How can you call yourself legitimate if you cannot move or go where your presence is important without provocateurs and security forces? ‘Georgian Dream’ is not associated with Georgia’s independence. Georgia’s independence and freedom are associated with moving towards the West. Our sovereignty, independence, and freedom are closely linked with Western countries. ‘Georgian Dream’ knows this well, and by calling these countries enemies, it puts under great threat the sovereignty we gained in 1991 through April 9, 1989,” Vano Tserteli stated.

According to Tserteli, the threat from the West exists only for Bidzina Ivanishvili, because he only recognizes his own financial empire.

“The claim that the threat comes from the West is a lie, and without this lie, Bidzina Ivanishvili’s power would collapse, because moving towards the West means strengthening democracy, which he does not need. The threat from Brussels comes only to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s usurped power. He recognizes neither the country, nor its past, nor its future. He only recognizes his financial empire, and it is the democratic system that threatens this financial empire. The only enemy is Russia, which does not want Georgia to be a state, but wants Georgia to be merely a geographical entity populated by people that it can take over. We saw why Russia attacked Georgia in 2008 and what its goal was, and what its goal is now when it fights against Ukraine and does not recognize its neighboring independent states. It believes that everything belongs to the Kremlin, which was previously part of the Soviet system. Back then it was called the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic de jure, but we had no real independence or sovereignty. We remember the 1921 annexation, when Russia abolished Georgia’s freedom and independence. Putin’s goal today is also the destruction of this independence,” Vano Tserteli stated.

In his assessment, Georgia will only be able to use the opportunities that have emerged after global developments when the government is no longer in Bidzina Ivanishvili’s hands.

“The world order established after the Cold War, which had a certain form, has not yet ended, so opportunities remain for Georgia. However, this opportunity cannot be used while Bidzina Ivanishvili holds power, because for him nothing exists except ensuring the security of his financial empire. The solution is the dismantling of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s regime. That is why we say that on May 26 we must have a very large turnout on the streets — to show both inside the country and to the international community that we are fighting for Bidzina Ivanishvili, as an obstacle to Georgia’s development, to end.

He is already finished in the minds of the Georgian people, and this resistance will never end, because apart from a small group, the Georgian people no longer link Georgia’s future with Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Vano Tserteli stated.