Georgian PM: solidarity with terrorism marks new low for domestic opposition and its foreign patrons

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday said expressions of solidarity with terrorism represented “an entirely new low” reached by what he described as the domestic opposition and its foreign patrons, arguing the situation reflected the state of both European bureaucracy and what he called local “agents”.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze referred to the conviction of Aleko Elisashvili, saying the facts of the case were clear.

“Everyone knows very well what happened at the Tbilisi City Court. A man attempted to set the courthouse on fire, which, under the legislation of any country, qualifies as a terrorist act. Failing to distance oneself from such an act speaks for itself and reflects a shared mindset”, he said.

“Political terrorism and terrorism in general are entirely acceptable phenomena for them - this is their common signature. Everything they have been doing over the years has amounted to a form of terror against the Georgian people, from constant attempts to create unrest to planning revolutionary scenarios. In this particular case, however, that terrorism took the form of a specific criminal offence. By refusing to condemn it, they naturally reveal their true nature”, Kobakhidze concluded.