Georgian PM accuses opposition of campaigning to hand Abkhazia over to Russia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday accused opposition figures and NGOs of carrying out what he described as a coordinated campaign aimed at preventing the restoration of trust between Georgians and Abkhaz people and ultimately pushing Georgia to “hand over” Abkhazia to Russia.

“Things are very simple: the agents have received a new assignment and are carrying out this new assignment. They have launched a campaign about how Georgia should hand over Abkhazia to the Russian Federation. This is a very clear line of the campaign”, Kobakhidze said in response to a journalist’s question.

He further added that a number of recent statements by opposition figures and NGO representatives are part of the same campaign.

He specifically referred to statements by former Georgian state minister Giorgi Baramidze, opposition figures Nika Gvaramia and Salome Samadashvili, as well as other NGO representatives. Kobakhidze claimed that their objective was to prevent the restoration of trust between Georgians and Abkhaz people.

“Their task is to somehow prevent the restoration of trust. The campaign against bringing fuel [to Abkhazia] is directed exactly toward this goal - to somehow prevent the restoration of trust between Georgians and Abkhaz people”, he said.

Kobakhidze also criticised Gvaramia for comments in which he described the “handing over” of Abkhazia as a way of freeing Georgia from pain and historical memory. The Prime Minister said similar arguments had previously been voiced by opposition figure David Berdzenishvili.

“This is one chain. Foreign agents receive assignments and then carry them out”, Kobakhidze said.

He added that those making such statements should not be offended when they are described as “people without a homeland” or accused of lacking patriotism.

“When you make such a statement, you should not be offended when you are called a person without a homeland or when your patriotism is questioned, which they actually do not have”, Kobakhidze concluded.