Ruling party official warns “radical” groups against “bringing disorder to country”

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said the Government would “protect the country and its citizens” from alleged efforts by a part of the domestic opposition to “bring a disorder into the country”.

[Domestic] radicals are being given specific instructions on what to do, how to act, and specific groups, both inside the country and outside the country, are attempting to cause chaos in the country, to overthrow the Government by all means”, Kaladze claimed.

“We will protect our country, our people, and the future of this country. These people, with their statements - the same [imprisoned former President] Saakashvili's statement, [an opposition leader] Vashadze's statement regarding [using] weapons - all this confirms the specific statement made by the Security Service of Georgia”, he said in reference to the body’s comment that on Monday claimed it had uncovered a plan by former officials of the previous United National Movement Government to cause “civil unrest” and overthrow the country’s Government using a “Euromaidan scenario” this fall. 

Kaladze warned the domestic “radical” groups they were “playing with fire” and stressed “no one will be given the opportunity to bring chaos, confrontation and try to overthrow the Government”. 

The Government changes in this country will be made only by the votes of the citizens of our country. Citizens will decide who should be in power tomorrow and to whom they should entrust the fate of the country. Anyone who promises to commit illegal acts will certainly be dealt with accordingly and everyone will be given a corresponding response both inside and outside the country”, Kaladze noted. 

In its statement, the Service said it had been monitoring the alleged group, which it said involved Giorgi Lortkipanidze, the former UNM Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and currently the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian military intelligence, Mikheil Baturin, a former member of the security detail of Saakashvili, and Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion fighting in the ongoing Ukraine war.

• State Security Service alleges plans uncovered for “civil unrest”, Gov’t overthrow by former UNM Gov’t officials

The Service said the group planned to stage their plans between October and December of this year, through use of public fallout of the potentially negative decision by the European Union bodies on granting Georgia the bloc’s membership candidate status, with the ultimate goal of changing the Government by “violent means”. 

It also claimed the plan to overthrow the Government was planned to be implemented “with the coordination and financial support of foreign countries”.