Ruling party head claims President “trying to damage country’s interests”

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed President Salome Zourabichvili was “trying to somehow damage the country’s interests” after the latter on Saturday said in an interview seeing the Chinese leader put on trial would be a “historic outcome”.

The official’s comment came following the remark by Zourabichvili, who told France’s LCI channel the prospect of the leaders of Russia and China facing court would “clarify certain matters”.

“I would like to respond to Salome Zourabichvili’s statement about the Chinese President - it was a shameful statement for which the Government has had to apologise”, Kobakhidze said. 

Zourabichvili is trying to damage our state interests in some way - she has months left before the expiration of her term of office, and she is trying to use these months as much as possible to fulfil the tasks, the tasks that are directed against the [Georgian] state”, the party official alleged.

“Zourabichvili will not be able to do that - she remains [only] the nominal President. Therefore, state interests will be protected from beginning to end”, the ruling party head concluded.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday told Zhou Qian, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, that comments by Zourabichvili were “categorically unacceptable and disturbing”.