Saakashvili asks his opponents to unite behind the country

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has addressed the opposition in his annual report to Parliament. He called upon both the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition to cooperate and consolidate their forces for the sake of Georgia.
Mikheil Saakashvili asked his opponents to take into consideration external threats and the current situation in the country when making specific decisions. Saakashvili said he was prepared to answer all questions on issues which might make his opponents wary of cooperating with him.
“In many countries it might have been said that less democracy, less transparency and greater control by a small group of people were needed in times of war,” Saakashvili said. “Georgia however, a beacon of democracy in this region, says that its response to Russia’s aggression will be more democracy, more freedom and more progress.”
The President said that the authorities had recently undertaken a number of “important steps” to help increase the role and powers of the opposition in Parliament. “I welcome the fact that we have managed to find a common language with the opposition on such key issues as Georgia’s unity,” Saakashvili said.