Garibashvili asks the Ukrainian president to focus on the war in his country
MADRID, 13 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, has criticized the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, for supporting and inciting the protests that have taken place in recent days in the streets of Tbilisi, for which they have managed to reverse a foreign agents law.
“When a person at war finds time to comment on a destructive demonstration of several thousand people, it is clear evidence that they are interested in something happening here and causing change,” he said, in statements to Imedi TV, collected by the Agenda portal.
The Georgian head of government has denounced that there are Ukrainian politicians who affirm that a change is needed in the country: “Scenarios with a coup d’état are rumored. This is direct interference,” he remarked.
Lastly, he wished the Ukrainian people “an end to the war” in a context in which the “situation is very complicated” with the possible launch of counterattacks and has urged a commitment to peace. “First, take care of yourselves and your country, we will take care of ours,” he concluded.
It is not the first time that Garibashvili has criticized the Ukrainian authorities, since this weekend he accused the Ukrainian government of trying to “open a second front” in the confrontation with Russia through the demonstrations called by the United National Movement that he leads. Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.
Garibashvili stressed that his Executive has managed to avoid “the greatest danger” by not entering the conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine despite the attempts of various countries to drag the country into war. “Unfortunately there are still attempts to bring the Ukrainian war to our country,” he said.
“We have been able to hear direct statements from Ukrainian officials in which they say that their objective is to open a second front. Sending former president Mikhail Saakashvili to Georgia and many other provocations seek this end,” he argued.
The vicinity of the Georgian Parliament, in Tbilisi, hosted massive citizen protests for several days once morest the foreign agents law with which the Executive tried to draw up a ‘black list’ of entities and organizations financed by third countries.
After several days of protests and criticism from international organizations and powers –such as the European Union or the United States– the Government of Georgia has reversed the proposal, which had already received the go-ahead from Parliament to move forward with its processing.
Among the main criticisms of the law, and by extension of the Government itself, stands out not only the “Russian character” that the opposition attributes to the legislation, but also its distance from the community values of the European Union, a body to which Georgia has aspirations to adhere.
