My dear fellow citizens!

I address the whole Georgia!

The representatives of all ethnicities!

I address Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Jews, Abkhaz and my dear Ossetians!

We were proud until today, that Georgia was a great nation and it resisted many occupants during the millennium. It maintained religion, nationality and statehood. Today we can tell the whole world - we are proud of our history, but most of all we are proud of today's Georgia!

Today Georgia is united as never before - more than a million of Georgians came out.

This is the biggest gathering of people after the Velvet Revolutions that started in Europe, after the Baltic countries turned aside from Russian and Soviet imperialism. This was happening in the 90ies.

Hundreds of people were out then, we saw their eyes lit.

We have never had such a great number of people out.

Georgia stands on the front line of fight for freedom and we are making this front line stronger.

My dear people!

Today Georgians created a united, strong chain.

Several months ago I was in Greece on Athos Mountain on saint land, where I saw Tornike Eristavi's chain shirt. I had a chance to touch this chain shirt.

Today, a new chain shirt is being knitted, our Georgian live chain, strong and wide chain shirt - for Georgia, for Europe and for freedom.

We stopped a horde that approached Tbilisi, when long ago Georgia resisted so many attacks by Temur Lengi, Georgia resisted the most brutal invasions by the most brutal occupiers.

When the 21st century hordes approached Georgia, Georgia stood as one; Georgia fought and Georgia will continue its struggle; Georgia has become united.

My dear people!

Today in this long chain not only our citizens the representatives of different ethnicities, but David the Builder, Vakhtang Gorgasali and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani stand here with us. All of them wished Georgia not to be left alone.

Today, for the first time in our history we can openly say, that Georgia is not alone - the whole civilized world stands together with Georgia.

Our fight for freedom is a fight of between justice and injustice; this is the fight between a big, brutal force and a small, united nation. This is the fight between David and Goliath. As St George defeated unjust Emperor with its strong soul and firmness, despite of the fact, that an Emperor had uncountable number of soldiers, so will Georgia gain a victory in this unparallel, but very benevolent battle. Georgia will gain a victory for our future and for the whole free world.

I want to tell you, that this battle will not only stop, this chain will never fall apart, but this chain will become bigger and will spread all around, because Georgia has a long way to go.

Today the battle has started to unite and build a new country, much more beautiful and successful, a contemporary country.

Our next generations will be proud of our civilized nation.

We need to take care of everyone who is homeless today and we must fight for it.

Ms Mediko Jikia was here not long ago, she is IDP from Sokhumi, her children and husband were killed in Sokhumi and they do not let her in Sokhumi only because she is Georgian.

This lady has come here together with her grandchildren.

This people will not be left without houses and care.

It is impossible to imagine the future development of Georgia if we don't help Ms Mediko and people like her. First of all we must be a human society that takes care of the weak and undefended people.

Our fight continues.

This brutal force, these hordes that entered Georgia, decided to launch a revival of Russian imperialism. Not only did Russian imperialism fail to prevail in Georgia, but the very idea of Russian imperialism will be buried once and for all in Georgia; the empire will not be revived; Georgia will resist this.

We are proud of this day.

We are proud, because today we are united as never before. With your permission, I would like to announce September 1 as a day of Unity in Georgia.

Georgia stands together as never before today.

I want to tell Europe: look at this huge number of people; the time has come for Europe to extend its hand to Georgia. Look at these European flags!

Georgia is a country of Golden Fleece and Argonauts. We are a country of very old Christian civilization. We are a perfect example of the co-existence of various ethnic and religious groups; a unique example of good relations with our neighbors and we are a peaceful country.

The fortune of Europe, future civilization and freedom is decided here in Tbilisi.

Tbilisi is the new edge and gate of freedom, which cannot be destroyed by the enemy of freedom.

My brothers and sisters! My dear fellow citizens!

I want to address everyone, the rest of the world!

Georgia was invaded in a very unjust way.

Hundreds of Georgians and other ethnicities were expelled from their houses, only because they wished unity, freedom and living in a normal, democratic country.

I want to tell everyone - injustice will not gain a victory.

I want to tell 500 thousand IDPs from Abkhazia - injustice will not gain a victory and you will return to your houses.

I want to tell people who were expelled from Tskhinvali - injustice will not gain a victory, you will return to your land by all means. We will defeat injustice by a peaceful struggle, by unity, by calmness, by firmness, by democracy and freedom together with the whole world.

Who is afraid of freedom like cholera, who wants to make slaves out of the nation loving freedom, who wants to build a new Berlin Wall between Georgia and Europe, I want to reach my voice to them - new walls will never be built in Georgia!

We will stand united and will do everything for our country - no one will be able to return Georgia back to the darkness, back to the epoch of violence, from were we managed to get out.

We will definitely gain a victory!

Georgian people will hold a hand of other nations around the globe and will gain a victory.

I want to greet everyone who stands beside us today - Ukrainians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Baltic Countries, USA, EU, France - that is a Chairman of EU, Germany - German Chancellor came to Tbilisi from the very beginning and stood beside us.

I want to greet everyone who stands beside Georgians on the squares around Europe - in Stockholm, Munich, Berlin, London, Prague...

I want to greet the former President of Czechoslovakia, a legendary person -Vatslav Havel, who expressed solidarity with Georgia. What he started, will be continued here in Georgia and we will fly these flags in Georgia all together.

I want to greet our fellow citizens, who are in Russia right now.

I want to tell them not to be afraid of anything.

You saw that Georgia never got afraid of anything - freedom will gain a victory.

Georgia is not anyone's enemy, among them Russians.

We will only be enemies of those, who will step on our borders, who will bomb our cities, will step over our dignity and principles of freedom. We will only oppose and resist this people.

As long as there is even a single occupier outside either the Psou or Roki tunnel, until our people are not allowed to return to their own houses, Georgia will not cease its resistance and it will never give in.

We will continue our peaceful fight in our cities, villages and streets.

We will stand united and say - violence and imperialism will never gain a victory!

Finally humiliation of freedom will stop.

Our dignity will never be humiliated, our flag, which is the flag of Europe as well, our historical five-cross-flag, which is the symbol of freedom, firmness and unity today, will always fly and will always resist the violence, enemies of freedom and those, who want to humiliate the rest of the world.

Georgia is not a country that does not know how to respect ethnic minorities.

Our treasure is in our multiethnic country.

Our treasure is that our greatest King, David the Builder used to go to Mosque, Synagogue and was praying in our church of course.

We have being praying in church for centuries, we go to Mosque and Synagogue. We speak different languages and dialects for centuries already, but despite this all, the Georgian nation has existed for many millenniums. This nation stands together today, to make the whole world see that it is united; and it asks the world support and sympathy.

When the people of all origins and religions gather, when our past and present unites for our future, when our national soul has revived, as never before, when our unity is an example for the whole world, we can say today - Georgia will continue a peaceful fight for unity!

Georgia will never kneel down, Georgia will revive and develop a very beautiful, successful, united country - and its multiethnic nation will definitely gain a victory together with the whole civilized world - together with Europe.

I want to greet our soldiers!

I want to greet representatives of all political groups!

We are not spited into diverse political groups, we are not divided into the government and the opposition, we are not divided according to our blood groups - one heart beats in all of us, we all have only one will - to give our children and grandchildren a bright future, to integrate in Europe and this was our dream before.

No one will be able to return us back.

We all will stand united, we all will be strong, we all will be successful and we will gain a victory!

Long live united, free, independent, European Georgia!

Press Office
of the President of Georgia