Kobakhidze: I Have ‘Zero Political Sympathy’ for Those on Rustaveli Avenue Who Follow Gvaramia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said he has “zero political sympathy” for Nika Gvaramia and those who support him, accusing them of deliberately acting against Georgia’s national interests.

Kobakhidze made the remarks during an appearance on Open Air, a programme aired by Georgia’s Imedi TV.

“I genuinely have zero political sympathy for those who stand on Rustaveli Avenue and follow Gvaramia and I use Gvaramia here in a broader, symbolic sense,” Kobakhidze said.

The prime minister argued that a comparison drawn between his remarks and a previous statement by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was inappropriate, saying the two cases involved different circumstances.

“When you draw a parallel with Saakashvili’s statement, Saakashvili made that statement about people, including people who had committed crimes. That is an entirely different matter,” Kobakhidze said.

“The statement alone would not have been a problem if people had not subsequently been shot dead in the streets. When something is quoted, it is very important that it is quoted accurately and that the context is also presented correctly,” he added.

Kobakhidze said he could have no political sympathy for Gvaramia or his supporters because, in his view, “these people are deliberately harming Georgia’s national interests.”