Georgian PM “strongly warns” everyone to refrain from any kind of provocation

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday “strongly warned” everyone to refrain from any kind of provocations during public protests held in the country against a controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence, following its reintroduction by the ruling party this month.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Government Administration, the PM said “the methods [of the actions] of the United National Movement is well known”, adding they had “dared much in the past, [and] everything is possible for this party”.

Those organisations [non-governmental organisations], that come out and talk to us about lofty matters today, have been completely based on the actions carried out by the United National Movement, including the torture of prisoners, murder, etc. while being in power”, he claimed.

In his comment following a remark by Devi Chankotadze, a member of the UNM opposition party, who on Tuesday said the adoption of the bill would “cause very bad events” in the country and the processes would “end badly if even one person dies” during the protests, Kobakhidze said Chankotadze was one of the “faces of the UNM, which uttered inadvertently that [thinking] what the radical political force might be thinking about.

He appealed to the opposition, urging them "not to dare to organise any provocation and use” people as their “tools” to pursue their “narrow political interests”. "The state stands in its place, and the UNM [...] with [its votes] bellow 10%, cannot organise any large-scale provocation”, he added.

The Head of the Government also pointed out that Georgia, the sovereign and independent state, would strictly oppose any such attempt of provocation against people.