TBILISI, Georgia: Moscow on Friday (Mar 10) accused foreign countries of fomenting days of mass protests in Georgia, likening them to an attempted coup designed to sow tension on Russia’s borders.
Hundreds of Georgians rallied for a fourth day outside parliament, as lawmakers dropped controversial “foreign agent” legislation that triggered violent clashes between police and protesters earlier this week.
The days-long demonstrations point to turmoil over the future in Georgia, which aims to join the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, much to the frustration of Moscow, which invaded in 2008 and recognised two separatist territories in the north of the country.
“There is no doubt that the law on the registration of non-governmental organisations … was used as an excuse to start, generally speaking, an attempt to change the government by force,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in comments carried by Russian news agencies.
The protests, he added, “are of course being orchestrated from abroad” and with the aim of creating “an irritant on the borders of Russia”.
The Kremlin criticised remarks from Georgia’s president delivered from the United States and accused a third party of stoking “anti-Russian” sentiment in the Black Sea state.
“We see where the president of Georgia is addressing her people from,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“AGENTS OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE”
But the mood was festive outside parliament in the capital Tbilisi where throngs of Georgians blew whistles, waved their red and white flag and held signs that read: “We are Europe”.
Georgian lawmakers had voted down the bill in the second reading after just one MP out of 36 backed the bill that critics had likened to Russian laws used to pressure civil society.
“This is a victory. We won thanks to our unity,” said 21-year-old student Irina Shurgaia, demonstrating outside parliament.
“The whole world saw that Georgians are united in their resolve to be part of the European family,” she told AFP.
