The Chorchana incident directly undermines Georgia's national interests and sovereignty – Giga Parulava
Giga Parulava, an MP from the "Gakharia for Georgia" party, spoke at the parliamentary plenary session regarding September 27—the anniversary of the fall of Sukhumi—stating that Russian aggression against Georgia continues.
He noted that September 27 is one of the most painful and tragic dates in Georgia's modern history, reminding society of Russian imperialism, ethnic cleansing, and the hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced persons.
"It is our paramount civic duty never to reconcile with the occupation and never to yield on Georgia's territorial integrity," Parulava declared.
He further stated that Moscow has accelerated the process of annexing the occupied Tskhinvali region, and that Marat Kambalov was elected as the region's so-called president following so-called presidential elections. "Its stated objective is the unification of so-called South and North Ossetia and the issuance of an ultimatum demanding the dismantling of the Chorchana checkpoint. Moreover, the occupation regime's demands are not limited to Chorchana alone," stated Pharulava.
In his assessment, the ongoing court proceedings against former Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia regarding the Chorchana incident—taking place against the backdrop of these very developments—are both "symbolic and alarming."
According to Pharulava, the authorities are prosecuting Gakharia for the establishment of a Georgian police checkpoint on Georgian-controlled territory in 2019. "The Chorchana case is a glaring example of an anti-state policy. Instead of firmly defending the installation—which protected Georgian land and the local population from further occupation—the government is creating legal documents for the sake of political retribution; the occupation regime is already actively using these documents in negotiations, including IPRM meetings, to demand the dismantling of the Georgian outpost and the ceding of the territory," he stated.
According to him, labeling the reinforcement of security measures and the deployment of an outpost within Georgian-controlled territory as a criminal act undermines state sovereignty.
Pharulava also addressed statements made by government representatives claiming they had no prior knowledge of the outpost's deployment in Chorchana. "No person of sound mind believes the fairy tale that Giorgi Gakharia single-handedly deployed the checkpoint in Chorchana. The authorities are trying to convince us that the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Defence, military intelligence, and the State Security Service had no idea about the developments unfolding along the occupation line," noted Pharulava.
According to her, closing the court proceedings prevents the public from hearing the positions of the prosecution's witnesses.
"Closing the court hearing serves only one purpose: to ensure the public does not hear the anti-state positions voiced by the prosecution's witnesses—positions that directly play into the hands of the occupation regime," the MP stated.
Pharulava asserted that those responsible for the decisions regarding the Chorchana episode will face legal accountability in the future. "Under the current state of the justice system, we harbor no illusions about an objective verdict; however, this process will remain a heavy political and legal burden for 'Georgian Dream.' This case goes beyond the scope of ordinary political persecution—it represents a direct blow to Georgia's national interests, territorial integrity, and sovereignty," stated Giga Parulava.