Georgian PM denies meeting Russian businessman following media reports
He added his Government would “not allow any legal entity or individual” to use Georgia to let Russia circumvent international sanctions placed on it for its invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “principled position”.Photo: Government's Administration
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday denied media reports on his meeting with Russian businessman Ali Uzdenov, telling reporters he had been approached about an encounter for “business offers” but denied the opportunity.
The comments by the PM follow reports in the media about a visit of Uzdenov, an assumed associate of the sanctioned Russian billionaire Vladimir Evtushenkov, to Georgia, and earlier speculation about a call between the latter and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili following a release of an unverified recording of their alleged communication on Monday on YouTube.
Garibashvili told local media he had been told by businessman David Khidasheli, a colleague of Uzdenov, about an interest in business-related talks with the head of the Georgian Government, but had not been available for the meeting.
I was indeed approached by David Khidasheli [and told] that there were some business offers, and I said very simply that I could not meet, [that] I was not in town, and I redirected him to the business sector,” the PM said.
He stressed “no continuation, no result” had followed subsequent separate meetings of the Russian businessman in Georgia, noting “such speculations are absolutely unacceptable” from the media.
He added his Government would “not allow any legal entity or individual” to use Georgia to let Russia circumvent international sanctions placed on it for its invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “principled position”.
Certain sources are releasing “falsified conversations” in order to cause “mislead the public” and achieve a starting of a war in Georgia, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Wednesday in response to a release of an alleged recording of a call between Russian businessman Vladimer Evtushenkov and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili this week.
Comments by Ukrainian Presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych confirm that if the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili were in power in Georgia, the country would be embroiled in a war, Thea Tsulukiani, the Georgian Vice Prime Minister and Culture Minister, said on Tuesday.
The fact that Georgia maintains trade relations with Russia amid the latter's invasion of Ukraine is" neither illegal nor immoral", particularly when Ukraine itself maintains trade with Russia, Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Tuesday.
Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, on Tuesday claimed the existence of a “disinformation campaign” being carried out “against Georgia” with the aim of “causing unrest and involving the country in a war” following a release of an unconfirmed audio recording of an alleged call between Russian businessman Vladimer Evtushenkov and former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said he hoped the recently announced referendum for Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region to join Russia would “not have a continuation”.
The Georgian Government has a “principled position” on not allowing “any legal entity or individual” to use the territory of Georgia to circumvent international sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Wednesday.
The Department of Strategic Communication of the Georgian Government on Thursday rejected as “disinformation” a tweet by a researcher of the Georgian-based Economic Policy Research Center thinktank that alleged Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili had claimed Georgia’s Western partners had wanted to drag the country “into the war” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.