Ruling party head condemns “discriminatory campaign”, says “xenophobia, chauvinism” not part of Georgian culture
He noted that the number of Russian citizens who entered Georgia this year was three times lower than in 2019. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
Tweet 
Share
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday called on the public to disassociate themselves from a “discriminatory campaign” against Russian citizens in Georgia, claiming the “sole purpose” of speculation on number of Russian nationals entering the country and calls for imposing visa requirement for them was “to turn Georgia into a second front” amid the war in Ukraine, and adding xenophobia and chauvinism “has never been and will never be” a part of Georgian culture.
Kobakhidze noted that the opposition United National Movement party - he referred to as the party of ‘war and betrayal’- its satellite parties and media outlets had launched a “completely shameful” xenophobic and chauvinistic campaign against Russian citizens in Georgia at the beginning of March.
With this campaign, they convinced a certain part of citizens that Russians were entering Georgia in an unprecedentedly large number, which, according to them, posed serious risks to the country's sovereignty and security. However, five months have passed since March, and everyone has become convinced that the influx of Russians in unprecedented numbers was a hoax concocted by the party of ‘war and betrayal’”, the GD official said.
He noted that the number of Russian citizens who entered Georgia this year was three times lower than in 2019.
If there is something that poses a serious threat to our country, it is precisely the xenophobic and chauvinist campaign. [...] The authors of the xenophobic campaign have nothing to do with true Georgian and European values. The xenophobia and chauvinism have never been and will never be a part of Georgian culture. We call on everyone to disassociate themselves from the anti-state and discriminatory campaign, the sole purpose of which is to turn Georgia into a second front”, he concluded in his comments.
Kobakhidze on Thursday rejected the calls of the Lelo for Georgia opposition party for imposing visa requirements for Russian and Belarusian citizens to prevent security threats in Georgia on the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine by calling it a “deliberate, xenophobic campaign that is absolutely disgraceful”.
In his comments over the matter Kobakhidze stressed that there was no place for “xenophobia” in Georgia.
The Georgian Government remains committed to the policy of peaceful de-occupation and will resist “all provocations” aimed at escalating a new military confrontation with “our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers and sisters,” Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said on Monday.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said involvement of Georgia in the military conflict amid Russia's war in Ukraine would bring the “most severe consequences to our country and its citizens”, and stressed the Government would "do everything" to prevent the country from being "dragged into war".
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday rejected the calls of the Lelo for Georgia opposition party for imposing visa requirements for Russian and Belarusian citizens to prevent security threats in Georgia on the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine by calling it a “deliberate, xenophobic campaign that is absolutely disgraceful”.
Calls by the Lelo for Georgia opposition party to impose visa requirements for Russian and Belarusian citizens serve the goal of dragging Georgia into Russia’s war in Ukraine, ruling Georgian Dream party MP Anri Okhanashvili said on Thursday in remarks that also reminded the opposition that the visa requirement with Russia had been lifted by the former President Mikheil Saakashvili while in office.
Anri Okhanashvili, a ruling Georgian Dream party MP and the Head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, said on Friday denying travellers entry to Georgia for their nationality was “wrong”, in comments on recent calls by the domestic opposition to impose visa requirements for Russian and Belarusian citizens on the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Iago Khvichia, an MP from the Girchi opposition party, on Friday backed comments by Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, that highlighted calls for imposing visa requirements on Russian citizens were coming from opposition members who had ruled to lift visa rules on Russian nationals while in power as part of the United National Movement Government in 2011.
Levan Davitashvili, the Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, on Monday slammed the country’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili and former members of the United National Movement Government for their calls to authorities to impose visa requirements for Russian citizens, accusing the opposition of aiming to hinder domestic tourism development.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said “any demand” of snap Parliamentary elections being held in the country was “completely irrelevant”.