In a bid to secure a majority at the upcoming parliamentary elections in October, Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party has promised to issue an official apology for the country's 2008 war with Russia. The party's founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, made this announcement during a campaign rally held in the city of Gori.

Ivanishvili, the former prime minister and honorary lifetime chair of the Georgian Dream party, placed the blame for the August 2008 war squarely on the United National Movement, which held power in Georgia from 2004 to 2012. He asserted that it was their actions that led to Russia gaining control over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Emphasizing that the war was not desired by either the Georgian or Ossetian people, Ivanishvili assured the public that if his party is re-elected for a historic fourth term, they would ensure that those responsible for the war would face legal consequences in what he described as a "Georgian Nuremberg process."

"After the October 26 elections, when the instigators of the war are held accountable and those responsible for the destruction of the Georgian-Ossetian brotherhood face the harshest legal consequences, we will find the strength to apologize for the suffering endured by our Ossetian brothers and sisters in 2008, caused by the traitorous National Movement," Ivanishvili stated.

In response to Ivanishvili's comments, the United National Movement issued a statement calling on him to apologize for what they referred to as a "national disgrace." They accused him of serving Russia's interests, undermining the policy of non-recognition of the occupied territories, and harming Georgia's national interest.

Notably, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russian propaganda broadcaster RT, expressed her support for Ivanishvili's stance, praising his "surprisingly rational" remarks.

This recent development follows Ivanishvili's earlier accusation in September, where he claimed that Georgia's opposition had provoked the 2008 war and attempted to involve Georgia in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine by opening a "second front" against Russia on Georgian territory.

It is important to note that in 2008, Russia invaded Georgia, leading to a breakdown in diplomatic relationships between the two countries. The international community, including Georgia, still considers South Ossetia and Abkhazia to be under Russian military occupation.