Georgia’s ruling party official accuses opposition, NGOs and cultural figures of double standards over Russia

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the Parliament, on Thursday criticised what he described as the “proxy opposition”, affiliated NGOs and some representatives of the cultural sector for maintaining normal relations with Russia following Russia’s attack on Georgia, arguing that their attitudes changed sharply only after Russia launched its war against Ukraine.

In a social media message, Machavariani noted that the opposition and affiliated NGOs were clearly driven by an external agenda, while among cultural figures, he said, such behaviour was in some cases the result of an “order” and in others an attempt to follow a trend.

“It is regrettable that following Russia’s attack on our country, the agent opposition, the NGO sector affiliated with them, and some representatives of the cultural sphere maintained a normal attitude toward Russia, and this attitude changed sharply only after Russia carried out similar actions against Ukraine. In the case of the proxy opposition and their affiliated NGOs, this is clearly a matter of following orders, while among cultural figures, it is in some cases the result of an external directive and in others simply an attempt to follow a trend. However, to put it mildly, neither is healthy”, he said.

The official also expressed his respect for the Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet’s artistic work, describing the ensemble as an integral part of Georgia’s national identity.

“First and foremost, I express my respect for the Sukhishvili ensemble’s artistic work. Through its immense contribution to our culture, the ensemble has become an integral part of our national identity. However, when traveling to Russia is not considered a problem despite the occupation of our country’s territories, but becomes unacceptable only after the developments in Ukraine, a legitimate question arises: is this an external directive or simply an attempt to follow a trend?” he concluded.