Georgia (country) Quotes

“Georgia does not need Russia as an enemy.”

“A united Georgia needs our unity now, to work together towards our many common goals.”

“We must create the Georgia that our ancestors dreamed of, the Georgia that we dream of.”

“Soviet colonialism sabotaged the foundations of a modern, liberal national state in Georgia.”

“Well, killing me makes no sense because Georgia already has a Western-educated political class.”

“Georgians have a proverb: "custom is stronger than faith". It reflects Georgians' belief that the past is always trumps.”

“It is not by mere chance that we [Georgians] have adopted two very important ideas as our watch words: freedom and responsibility.”

“For the first time in 15 years, Georgia this winter has its electric power guaranteed without deficit. This is a historic achievement.”

“Georgia's transformation since 2003 has been remarkable... The lights are on, the streets are safe, and public services are corruption-free.”

“Standing at David's tomb, we must say Georgia will unite, Georgia will become strong and will restore its integrity... I want all of us to do it together and I promise not to become a source of shame for you.”

“Praise be to the heavenly bestower of Blessings, praise be to paradise on earth, to the radiant Iberia. Praise be to brotherhood and to unity, praise be to liberty, praise be to the everlasting, lively Georgian people!”

“It is time we Georgians did not depend only on others, it is time we asked what Georgia will do for the world... Our steady course is towards European integration. It is time Europe finally saw and valued Georgia and took steps towards us.”

“Georgia's character - now and forever - celebrates tolerance, embraces diversity, relishes lively and open debate, and above all, respects liberty and human dignity. Georgia is a democracy, because above all - its national identity is rooted in the traditions of democracy.”

“The Georgian Republic aspires to its worthy place in the world's community of states; it affirms and equally guarantees, as envisioned by international law, all the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, of nations, ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups as demanded by the rules of the United Nations...”

“[W]hen the people of Georgia rose up to defend their freedom - they also rose up to reclaim their future. A future that would no longer be defined by the false promises, wholesale decay, and state disintegration of the recent past. A future no longer dominated by the politics of division, state-sanctioned theft and disregard for the poorest parts of society.”

“You are building a democratic society where the rights of minorities are respected, where a free press flourishes, a vigorous opposition is welcome, and unity is achieved through peace... In this new Georgia, the rule of law will prevail, and freedom will be the birthright of every citizen... [T]he sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected... As you build freedom in this country, you must know that the seeds of liberty you are planting in Georgian soil are flowering across the globe.”

“Georgia is the country of unique culture. We are not only old Europeans, we are the very first Europeans, and therefore Georgia holds special place in European civilization. Georgia should serve as a paragon for democracy where all citizens are equal before the law, where every citizen will have an equal opportunity for the pursuit of success and realization of his or her possibilities. Georgia should become and will become a homeland for independent, educated and proud people.”

“There was a hierarchy of material conditions in the communist world. The Yugoslavs, with the closest commercial links with the West, did best in the range and quality of goods available. Next came the East Germans, followed by the Hungarians and the Poles. Citizens of the USSR trailed in after them; and, still more galling to Russian national pride, the Georgians and Estonians in the Soviet Union enjoyed better conditions than those available to the Russians. The stereotypical Georgian, in the Russian popular imagination, was a swarthy ‘Oriental’ who smuggled oranges in large suitcases from his collective farm to the large cities of the RSFSR. That fruit could be an item of internal contraband speaks volumes about communism’s economic inefficiency.”

“While separatist nationalisms developed and were increasingly expressed, there was no protracted attempt to use the extensive military resources of the Soviet state to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union. Already, in 1986–7, the government had refused to employ force to support party leaders in the Baltic Republics. When the crisis rose to a height, counterreform attempts by the Soviet military, keen to preserve the integrity of the state, led to action against nationalists in Georgia (1989), Azerbaijan (1990), Lithuania (1991), Latvia (1991), and Moldova (1992). However, these steps were small-scale, and there was no significant violent supporting action by the 25 million Russians living within the Soviet Union but outside Russia, those, for example, who played a key role in crises in Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014.”

“In 2004 the Baltic states, Bulgaria and Romania formally joined NATO, as did Slovakia and Slovenia. Soon afterwards, the American president, George W. Bush (2001–9), openly mooted Ukraine and Georgia also joining, which would advance NATO to Russia’s southern frontier. Both Germany and France challenged the wisdom of such blatant provocation. Putin repeated Yeltsin’s warning that any NATO advance to the frontier ‘would be taken in Russia as a direct threat to the security of our country’. In the summer of 2008 he reacted by invading Georgia’s Russian-speaking northern provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Europe’s only response was for France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to negotiate a ceasefire.”