‘Georgian Dream’ government head Irakli Kobakhidze held a briefing on “Russophobia” in Georgia. He said that, in line with instructions from the “deep state,” the alleged agents are artificially fueling Russophobic sentiments in Georgia today.
As examples of “Russophobia,” he cited the arrival of Russian tourists on the Astoria Grande cruise ship in 2023 and an opposition protest led by Elene Khoshtaria during a wedding attended by Russian citizens.
“Partners abroad, agents at home – all of them are trying to fuel this campaign in our country. They have one goal,” Irakli Kobakhidze said. “They failed to open a ‘second front’ – it was the same earlier, in 2022, when they came to us and demanded that we open a second front, to which they received a refusal. They then moved to relatively more indirect demands – imposing sanctions and sending volunteer fighters. When they failed to achieve results through these either, there was the issue of the European Union, which they tried to use for blackmail. They could not use this either because society showed wisdom. This was followed by three Russophobic campaigns…
“The campaign was directly aimed against tourists. Russian tourists were portrayed as a threat… They failed to fuel it because Russophobia, just like xenophobia, is foreign to Georgian culture…
“Clearly, in line with instructions from the ‘deep state,’ the artificial fueling of Russophobic sentiments in Georgia today by its alleged agents is a process that is meant to end with an extreme escalation of hatred between nations, the collapse of economic relations, and the maximum escalation of the situation.
“Therefore, despite the wrong policies of the United National Movement regime and the Russian authorities, which is a political issue to be addressed by politicians and state institutions, both Georgian and Russian societies must exercise particular caution so as not to knowingly or unknowingly act in the interests of the ‘global war party.’” – Kobakhidze claimed
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