The President of Georgia attended a reception held by the Alliance of the European Conservatives and Reformers, at which Mikheil Saakashvili was invited with the status of “extraordinary guest”. The Head of the Conservative Party – Baroness Warsi opened the reception with a welcoming speech and then introduced Mikheil Saakashvili.

“Our guest today has a long friendship with the Conservative Party. This relationship started at a time when we were in opposition. Many of you remember well that David Cameron arrived in Georgia during the difficult period in 2008. True friends back each other especially in times of hardship. That is why it is my great honor to introduce to you a remarkable President of a remarkable country, Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili” – noted Baroness Warsi while introducing the extraordinary guest. Mikheil Saakashvili also addressed the audience, including the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – David Cameron. The President of Georgia once again thanked the Prime Minister for the strong support of Georgia, which he expressed during August 2008.

“It is a great honor for me to address you today. This is really a cordial setting and it feels like being in a family environment. We are gathered here because we have shared values and we don’t have to prove anything to each other. There is conformity of ideals here. Ideals and values have tremendous meaning in times of crisis and dramatic changes. During hard times, it is possible to address issues in two ways. On one hand, you can decide to handle business pragmatically, by setting your ideals aside and deciding the problem practically. However, I think the second way, which means overcoming crisis by following your principles and values to the very end to solve problems in such a fashion, is better. If we look at history we will see that only the world leaders who chose the second way were able to achieve success. That is why Europe and the world need such leaders. I think David Cameron is this kind of a leader. He was the only European opposition leader who arrived in Georgia at a time when commercial flights were canceled and Russian tanks were bombing us. He made a statement which had more influence on the Russian Generals than all other world leaders. “– noted the President.

During his speech, Mikheil Saakashvili talked about democratic values. He also focused attention on the successfully implemented reforms as well as the results and ratings of the studies administered by international organizations and institutions. The Head of State also touched on the issue of Russian aggression and the political pressure, which the neighboring country is deliberately directing towards Georgia.