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Irakli Garibashvili. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili castigated former Defense Minister Irakli Alasania on Thursday, calling him ‘a traitor’ and ‘an opportunist’.

“What Alasania did, is a betrayal of the victory of 2012 and an attempt to deceive the Georgian people,” Garibashvili said during a routine meeting of the government.

In an apparently irritated tone, he said that ‘nothing bad happened’, Georgia will remain as a strong state, and the government will not face any problems, and the Georgian Dream coalition will have ‘a steady majority’ in the parliament.

“We got rid of one unwise and ambitious minister,” Garibashvili said. “It would have been much better if it happened sooner. Nothing bad happened actually.”

“We don’t fear even 10 or 100 such opportunists as Alasania is,” Garibashvili added. He is said to have had a bitter rivalry and animosity toward Alasania since before the coalition came to power in October, 2012. “We’ll easily overcome such kind of obstacles. It is sad that some of our friends are now on his [Alasania’s] side. Unfortunately, they are deceived too.”

Garibashvili also blamed Alasania of being the only man in the coalition who favored the National Movement Party of former president Mikheil Saakashvili. He said that Alasania tried to protect Gigi Ugulava, the former Tbilisi mayor who is now in prison, and Giga Bokeria, former head of the National Security Council, who often serves as an unofficial spokesperson, voicing the views of the UNM. No formal charges have been leveled against Bokeria so far.