Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday claimed the European Union member states were paying “hundreds of millions of euros” for Russian goods amid its war with Ukraine and “intensified” criticism towards the Georgian government for maintaining economic ties with the Kremlin.
The officia’s social media post came following the recent allegations of the CNN journalist in her interview with the European Commission president, in which she said that Russia was reportedly aveding sanctions with the use of the Georgian territory.
Condemning the information as “fake and unfounded”, Kobakhidze said making such reports by the influential media had pointed to the scales of campaign “against Georgia”.
“CNN is not an ordinary media outlet, and this fact clearly shows how large-scale the coordination is, which is directed against the national interests of Georgia. Accordingly, the false information voiced by the CNN journalist requires an immediate response. If Georgia had exported sanctioned products to Russia, the export from Georgia to Russia would have increased disproportionately last year”, Kobakhidze said.
Providing figures, he noted that in 2022, compared to 2021, the growth of Georgia’s total exports amounted to 33 percent, while in the same period, exports to Russia had increased by only seven percent.
He stressed that in the same period, exports from Georgia to China had increased by 20 percent, Azerbaijan by 27 percent, Turkey by 35 percent, the USA by 36 percent, Bulgaria by 67 percent, Armenia by 129 percent, and Kazakhstan by 148 percent.
“The share of exports to Russia in the total exports of Georgia in 2022 not only did not increase, but significantly decreased, which unmistakably confirms the falsity of the information spread by the CNN journalist”, said the politician.
Kobakhidze also said the goods imported from Georgia, had made up only 0.3 percent of Russia’s total imports in 2022.
“Against this background, when specific foreign media outlets claim that Russia is feeding itself with goods imported from Georgia, it is, to put it mildly, a very big lie.It should also be noted that in 2022, more than 3/4 of the goods exported from Georgia to Russia were alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, agricultural products and ferroalloys”, he said.
In contrast with the claims, the official pointed out that in February-August 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, imports from Russia increased by 33 percent in Germany, 24 percent in Poland, 100 percent in Italy, 84 percent in France, 51 percent in the Netherlands, 78 percent in Belgium, and 132 percent in Hungary, while in Greece – by 142 percent, in Spain – by 51 percent, in Austria – by 139 percent, in Slovakia – by 71 percent, in Bulgaria – by 116 percent, in Romania – by 55 percent, in the Czech Republic – by 31 percent, in Slovenia – by 346 percent, in Croatia – by 68 percent, in Cyprus – by 138 percent , and in Luxembourg – by 262 percent.
“When influential foreign media spread lies of this scale directed against the Georgian state, this is a separate problem. However, it is a bigger problem when the same lies are circulated by the Georgian radical opposition and its media outlets. This fact confirms once again that for these people, the national interests of Georgia mean nothing”, Kobakhidze said.