Russian MFA spokeswoman: 'West cannot stomach Georgia's independence'
Maria Zakharova on Georgia and OSCE
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze‘s assessment of Western institutions required no further confirmation from Moscow, adding that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly had long pursued a course of “aggression, aggressive rhetoric and destructive actions”.
Zakharova’s remarks came in response to a question at a news conference on whether the Russian Foreign Ministry shared Kobakhidze’s assessment. Kobakhidze had earlier accused the OSCE and European institutions of involvement in attempts to bring about a violent change of government in Georgia.
Maria Zakharova: “The Georgian prime minister’s remarks require no confirmation from us. We are talking about the leader of a sovereign state who knows and loves his country and represents its people.
Modern Georgia is a clear example of brazen, and at times unprecedented, external interference in the affairs of a state that possesses all the attributes of sovereignty
Tbilisi’s determination to pursue an independent and nationally oriented policy — meaning one focused on its own people, who are themselves multi-ethnic — is perceived by the ‘collective West’ as a direct challenge. To put it in plain Russian, it sticks in their throat.
This irritates Western representatives so much that they are prepared to use every lever at their disposal to remove the current government simply because it serves the interests of its own people, thinks about them, understands them and their history, and builds the country’s future on that basis, rather than serving those who have nothing to do with the Georgian people or their history.
The Georgian prime minister’s remarks apparently relate to the adoption of the Hague Declaration at the annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The declaration includes a number of resolutions, including one concerning Georgia’s ‘undemocratic’ elections.
Such destructive activity by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly comes as no surprise to us. The assembly long ago chose the path of aggression. A number of states use the OSCE platform to launch unrestrained criticism not only of Russia but also of other countries, including through the use of the ‘Moscow Mechanism’ — an outdated, pseudo-human-rights and non-consensual instrument.
Everything they allege against Georgia, including the accusations you have asked about, is false.”
OSCE resolution
On 8 July, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a critical resolution on Georgia calling on the country’s authorities to release political prisoners, repeal legislation restricting civil liberties and uphold democratic standards.
The resolution, entitled Protecting Electoral Integrity and Fundamental Freedoms in Georgia, forms part of the Hague Declaration, the final document adopted at the assembly’s 33rd annual session, held in the Netherlands from 4 to 8 July.
Representatives of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party attended the session but walked out in protest at the adoption of the resolution.
