Opposition calls for parliamentary investigation to “verify connections” between Georgian, Russian intelligence

The Lelo opposition party on Monday called for the creation of a parliamentary commission to look into alleged connections between Georgian and Russian intelligence agencies. 

The initiative by the opposition party comes of the heels of recent reports by the opposition-minded TV Pirveli channel, which said that there were “permanent communication “ between Georgian and Russian intelligence agencies, noting that the current Interior Minister of Georgia, who previously charred the Security Service, had “confidentially” visiting Moscow. 

“Based on the information provided to journalists by the former officials of the Security Service of Georgia, the current Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia and the former head of the Service of Security, Vakhtang Gomelauri, has confidentiality visited Russia for a meeting and then hosted high-ranking officials of the State Security Services of Russia in Tbilisi. 

“According to witnesses, the purpose of the cooperation was to transport prohibited goods on the territory of Georgia, on the order of Russia, to grant Georgian citizenship to specific Russian citizens and promote their business activities, to control the activities of persons undesirable to the Russian ruling regime, and to cooperate in other directions”, Salome Samadashvili, who previously was a member of the United National Movement, said. 

Anri Okhanashvili, a member of the ruling party, called the allegations groundless, stating that such statements “aimed to create a basis for the radical actions of the opposition”. 

“These statements seem to have been made on purpose to prepare the ground for the creation of the political agenda of the respective radical opposition groups. What agenda do they have today? – they do not join working groups with the ruling party, purposely make disinformation statements and practically have no agenda. Therefore, their moves are understandable”, Okhanashvili said. 

In their previous statements, the ruling party accused the opposition of “anti-Western” activities and an “attempted coup”.