Russia “rewarded” Georgian gov’t, helps it to retain office – opposition on Moscow’s move to lift visa regime, travel ban with Tbilisi

Georgian opposition representatives on Wednesday said the Kremlin had “rewarded” the Georgian Dream authorities for its “good conduct” and “standing by its side”, in response to the Russian government’s most recent decision to lift visa requirements and travel ban with Georgia. 

 

“The Georgian government’s policy is in  Russian interests and the latter helps it to retain office”, Giga Bokeria, the head of the  European Georgia opposition party said. 

 

Giorgi Gakharia, the former prime minister under the Georgian Dream government and the current head of the For Georgia opposition party, claimed the Kremlin had “rewarded” the Georgian authorities for its “good conduct”. 

 

 He stressed the GD founder Bidzinina Ivanishvili, labeled as a shadow ruler of the country by the domestic opposition, was pushing Georgia to the “aggressor state” and “endangered Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations”. 

 

The Georgian Dream government representatives and lawmakers stressed it was the “Kremlin’s decision” and the domestic authorities could not be held responsible for Moscow’s moves.

 

However, parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili noted the country’s foreign partners in 2019-2020 were calling on Russia to remove the restrictions. Archil Talakvadze, the vice parliament speaker, noted that if the EU last year granted “deserved” candidate status to Georgia, Russia may not have taken the step. 

 

Foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili reminded the opposition that the former president Mikheil Saakashvili revoked visa requirements for Russian citizens in 2012, and added the decision could be welcomed from the humanitarian point of view.