Kobakhidze accuses "deep state" of plotting new provocation against Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused what he described as the “deep state” of seeking to artificially fuel Russophobia in Georgia through its agents, calling the alleged campaign a new stage in an assault against the country.

“The example of Georgia clearly shows that radical anti-Russian sentiments are fake, and this is confirmed by concrete facts,” Kobakhidze said.

The prime minister said that since 2022, the “party of global war” had sought to draw Georgia into the conflict in Ukraine and persuade it to open a second front. He said the same forces had subsequently demanded that Georgia join sanctions against Russia in an effort to damage the country’s economy.

Kobakhidze said that, after failing to bring Georgia’s authorities under their control, those forces were now attempting to involve the country in a new provocation. Their alleged aim, he said, was to create the impression of widespread Russophobia in Georgia and prompt Russian authorities to sever economic ties with the country.

“The goal of all this is the collapse of Georgia’s economy, the incitement of hostility between peoples and bringing the processes to the point of military conflict, which will lead to the extreme weakening of the country and the threat of its destruction,” Kobakhidze said.

By Tamilla Hasanova