Opposition, affiliated NGOs involved in “inciting ethnic xenophobia” - Parliament Speaker

Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday claimed a part of domestic opposition groups and affiliated non-governmental organisations were engaged in “instigating xenophobia on ethnic grounds” amid the presence of Russian citizens in the country on the backdrop of Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. 

In response to concerns about property purchases by Russian citizens, raised by opposition members, Papuashvili recounted a particular incident where the opposition, their activists and unspecified NGOs had “falsely interpreted” images on walls in streets of the capital city of Tbilisi as indicators of alleged bomb targets.

He noted it was later revealed the images merely depicted images of a cat, before alleging “misinformation circulated by the opposition” and claiming the domestic public had “not succumbed to any provocative campaigns” despite the “divisive attempts”.

The lawmaker said a year and a half of the increased presence of Russian nationals in the country had “passed without any security incidents”, including between citizens of Russia and Ukraine.

He attributed the statistics to “many” Russian citizens who had entered the country since the outbreak of conflict in February 2022 had Georgian origins or connections and were “seeking refuge” from the conflict initiated by Russia.

He stressed state borders were “meticulously managed” by the country’s State Security Service, with “no reported breaches” compromising their security, and commended the “high level” of general management of Georgia’s security situation displayed by the absence of conflicts with the communities arriving from Russia.