Nika Melia: "I am very sorry that the President of Lithuania did not arrive in Georgia on May 26"

How did Georgia meet on May 26, the day of state independence, and what is the significance of the address of the leaders of the leading Western countries to the Georgian people, the strategic partner countries whose support is crucial for Georgia's path to North Atlantic integration. 

"This speach will definitely go down in the history of Georgian politics," said Nika Melia, chairman of the United National Movement and opposition leader, in an interview with The NewPosts.

„May 26 is a very important date, it is superfluous to talk about it, it is the main holiday of the state and we have seen the representatives of our partner countries address the Georgian people in different formats. There was an address from Freedom Square by the President of Poland, it was uniquely really friendly and I think this speach will definitely go down in the history of Georgian politics, a speach that was strong in its load. We also saw congratulations from the heads of other states, which were spread in the form of video appeals.

- You mentioned the address of the President of Poland. According to our information, the President of Lithuania had an invitation, but he did not arrive in Georgia. You will probably agree that Lithuania is one of the important partners on the path to NATO integration. How would you rate his absence?

We saw a video address made by the President of Lithuania, but it is unfortunate that only the President of Poland managed to arrive in Georgia. I think that when Georgia, as a state, is really at a crossroads - civilization or back, in the painful Soviet past, it is important that the leaders of our friendly states celebrate this important date with us as representatively as possible once a year.

I do not know the reason why the President of Lithuania did not arrive. Maybe he didn’t manage to arrive. I wish he was here, on the ground with other leaders. Addressing Freedom Square is a completely different force, which would undoubtedly give additional impetus to the strategic partnership, which we, Georgians, need very much today.

I repeat, it is very unfortunate that Gitana Nauseda did not arrive because, support and addressing from different ranks of guests standing on the Freedom Square, will only contribute to our strategic partnership and give additional impetus to our state on the Euro-Atlantic path. As a citizen of Georgia, I am very sorry that the President of Lithuania did not arrive in Georgia.