Today it is 20th years anniversary of the independence of Georgia and I want to make a short statement before the parade dedicated to the anniversary of independence will start.
In recent days attempts have been made, based on scenario written outside Georgia, to foil celebration of Georgia's Independence anniversary; to thwart today's parade; sabotage and to trigger mass disorders. Freedom of speech is our sacred value. I will do everything for the Georgian citizens, including those who have legitimate demands or complaints, to have possibility to express themselves through protests towards the Georgian authorities.
But the developments of the recent days have nothing to do with freedom of speech. These people, these political leaders with their small groups wanted to raise a hand on the Georgian democracy. Instead of wanting freedom of speech, they in fact want violence and victims.
Yesterday, during actual clash with police they weren't able to achieve what they wished - to have victims. Protest leaders were the first who run away from the protest territory and on their way they have driven over several people. Unfortunately two of them have died. I want to express my condolences to their families. We all have to understand that we should be vigilant, because these provocations are prepared not within the country - we will share with our people all the information available for us and unfortunately we have many bad information.
We should understand well that Georgia's national independence belongs not to some party or some President, Minister or MP but to Georgia in whole, to Georgia's past, present and future. It belongs to the generations that live today in Georgia, who were sacrificing themselves for the independence of Georgia during the centuries.
I want all of us to understand why they wanted to thwart the celebration.
- - Because they want Georgia never to become able to say to the world why we want freedom;
- - Because they wanted to revenge our army, which in unequal battle in August, 2008 resisted heroically to enemy forces exceeding one hundredfold and made them suffer more damage than they have suffered for dozens of years on any front or during any intervention. That's why our occupants had selected Armed Forces and this day as a target.
I once again repeat that we all are children of our motherland - Georgia, our independence equally belongs to all of us, we all equally bow down our heads in front of our soldiers and we will fight until the last drop of our blood for the independence, dignity of our country and for the future of our children.
It was like this before and it will be like this in future as well.
No one will spoil the celebration today, nothing will shake our will to fight for the independence and democracy, for the freedom of speech, for envisaging ideas of all our citizens and for the construction of truly democratic and constitutional Georgia.
We will be vigilant and we will always respond adequately to any provocation of our enemy and occupant.