Government Crisis in Georgia

Tbilisi / 05.11.14 / Turan-BSPRESS: The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili announced the resignation of Alasania from the post of Minister of Defense.

"I made ​​the decision to send the Defense Minister Irakli Alasania to resignation to prevent the privatization of the Ministry of Defense and not interfere with the investigation,” said in a briefing Garibashvili.

In recent days, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia announced immediately on three criminal cases against officials of the Ministry of Defense. The first scandal erupted during a trip abroad of the Minister Alasania - MoD several senior officials were arrested on charges of embezzlement in a large scale.

Alasania cannot hold the post of Defense Minister, the Prime Minister said.

"The minister, who lets his friends to procure and gain tenders, cannot be a minister. The fight against corruption is our top priority. To avoid the politicization of the armed forces and the Ministry of Defense, I have decided to dismiss the minister," said Garibashvili,

The Prime Minister of Georgia called irresponsible statement by Alasaniya that the prosecutors' actions are intended to prevent the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the country.

Alasania, in turn, denied the allegations and accused the authorities of an effort to move away from the West and go to the rapprochement with Russia.

"Only one side is not satisfied with our cooperation with NATO, and I suspect that this side is behind the actions of the prosecutor's office," Alasania said.

He reported that on Wednesday at the Political Council of the ruling coalition Georgian Dream he intends to raise the question about where the country is and "if there is any power in the coalition, which leans towards Russia."

Alasania said that he does not preclude his arrest. "I do not rule out that I can be arrested."

"This is an attempt to destroy a possible political rival and opponent, and this is a political assassination attempt. But this will not work. I can say to those who planned it, there is nothing that can scare me so that I would abandon the goal of European integration of my country," Alasania said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister announced that Mindia Dzhanelidze would be appointed the new Defense Minister. Until recently he served as Secretary of the Board of National Security and Crisis Management in the government.

Thereupon the State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexi Petriashvili resigned.

"Everyone can see what is happening – it is an attack on the European integration of Georgia. And we can see that dictatorship is coming," said Petriashvili.

Alex Petriashvili is a member of the party Our Georgia - Free Democrats headed by Alasania.

The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Energy of Georgia Kakha Kaladze does not exclude that other ministers of the current government from the team of Alasania, who heads the party Our Georgia - Free Democrats, also will resign.

The government still has two ministers from the Alasaniya team - Minister of Justice Teya Tsulukiani and Foreign Minister Maya Panjikidze.

One of the main questions is also the fact whether the Alasaniya party will leave the ruling coalition Georgian Dream. If this decision is made, the ruling coalition will lose 10 seats, which will not allow the coalition to maintain a majority in the parliament.

A number of political figures of Georgia have already predicted a full-blown crisis and the need for the resignation of the entire government. -02D-