Quotes from Eduard Shevardnadze

I am not responsible for the actions of Saakashvili and even for those of Gamsakhurdia.

As for myself, I was never against Russia.

I couldn't stand the idea of bloodshed, casualties.

I don't want to go down in history as a man who allowed blood to be shed...

But we cannot rely on foreign help indefinitely.

But eradicating corruption is not enough to sustain a country.

I think if someone else other than Reagan, someone less of a hardliner, had been in power then the breakthrough in ending the Cold War would not have happened.

You know in the West they support realistic forces.

But on second thought, after I decreed the state of emergency, I came to the conclusion that that was impossible to achieve without bloodshed because the street protesters were full of anger and nearly out of control. This is why I thought we needed to find another way out.

It is absolutely impossible to settle the debts to pensioners, teachers, and others. The country hasn't got enough money to do so.

Even the pyramids might one day disappear, but not the Palestinians longing for their homeland.

Corruption has its own motivations, and one has to thoroughly study that phenomenon and eliminate the foundations that allow corruption to exist.

I'm sure that was the right step, even though, formally speaking, it may seem disadvantageous for a president to resign. But, looking into what is happening today and what is going to happen in the future, I think history will show I made the right decision.

In my life I have always found ways of dealing with a situation.

To sum up, what has been our policy? We looked for and found friends all throughout the world.

The external world is committed to helping Georgia settle its problems.

Prospects of normalizing our relations with Russia look good.

They're making a song and dance because that serves their immediate interests. But what will happen tomorrow? They will have to pay salaries and pensions.

I believe politicians should always remain realistic.

You know, to address crowds and make promises does not require very much brains.

I think my resignation was the only way to avoid bloodshed.

But the Americans have no extra money. They have their own problems. They can provide financial assistance for two, three, four, or six months at most.

When I came back to power, Georgia was completely isolated on the international stage.

I was a member of the Politburo for seven years, a foreign minister.