“I hope we will be able to resume dialogue [with Russia] to normalize ties,” Saakashvili said on a Rustavi 2 TV talk-show on January 8. “You may notice that during my election campaign I never actually spoke about Russia – even though we have many problems [with Russia] – I refused to use that card, knowing even that it could have been a major vote catcher. Why? Because it was the responsible thing to do; it is also a sensitive issue for them [the Russians], as Georgia is a very important country for Russia… We will invite the Russian president [Vladimir Putin] to the inauguration and we will try to start relations from a blank page; it is our duty to build these relations and to, at least, remove hindering factors in our relations.”

Saakashvili’s conciliatory remarks were in marked contrast to his position following the police dispersal of anti-government demonstrators in Tbilisi on Novemebr 7. Saakashvili then accused Russia of masterminding the unrest and expelled three Russian diplomats from Georgia. “We have incontrovertible evidence that these people played a major role in [recent developments in Georgia]. It was planned there [Russia], financed from there and implemented through the help of their friendly oligarch [Badri Patarkatsishvili],” Saakashvili said on November 7.

Notice what now is the position:

President Saakashvili said on May 3: “One part of Georgia is today under the occupation of one of the biggest aggressors.”

Speaking at his ruling party’s congress in Tbilisi, Saakashvili did not name any country, but Georgian officials have been referring to extra Russian troops in breakaway Abkhazia as “aggressors.”

Saakashvili also said that Georgia’s major goal was “to establish peace.”

“Everything that we have accomplished recently, we’ve done it through peace,” he continued. “Everything that we will achieve in the future, we will do that through peace. Everything that we have done confirmed that our country belongs to every ethnic group [living in Georgia]. This peace needs to be protected and to its protection needs unity. It will be impossible to defeat Georgia if it has international support and if there is unity within the country.”

Saakashvili should send a thank you note to Putin for helping his party win the elections — given that it does — and of course it will — a few irregularities here and there and the victory is in the sack.