During the campaign rally in the town of Gori Bidzina Ivanishvili, Honorary Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party blamed the 2008 war on the “external forces” and the Georgian government of the time.

"As soon as the October 26 elections are over, we will certainly find the strength within ourselves to apologize for the fact that, according to the task, the traitorous 'National Movement' engulfed our Ossetian sisters and brothers in flames of fire in 2008," Ivanishvili said. He did not spoke about Russia’s responsibility for the military invasion and occupation that continues to this day.

"I would also like to share my opinion regarding the apology: I think that first and foremost, an apology is owed to those who rest in the brothers' cemeteries and to their families, to those who have lived in displaced persons' settlements for decades, and whose homes have been razed to the ground...

Then, an apology is owed to those who were so unfortunate as to survive the war alive... Let those who understand, understand...

It is indeed the state that should apologize to these people...", Lt.Gen. Davit Tevzadze, former Minister of Defence of Georgia posted on Facebook.

Bidzina Ivanishvili's speech in Gori was followed by protests from families of those killed in the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, civil activists and the opposition. Margarita Simonyan, one of the leaders of Kremlin propaganda, said about Ivanishvili's words that Georgia "is behaving surprisingly adequately".