Georgian Parliament official: UNM has nothing to offer but sabotage, relies on “deep state”-backed supporters abroad

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, on Saturday claimed the collective United National Movement party had no constructive agenda and existed solely to cause harm, while their foreign supporters, controlled by the deep state, were seeking to run their election campaign from abroad.

Gorduladze’s comments follow the French Senate’s resolution criticising Georgia and alleging that imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili was being held in “harsh and inappropriate conditions”.

“The European Court of Human Rights has confirmed that Mikheil Saakashvili’s condition, including the measures taken towards him and the treatment methods, fully comply with human rights. Now, in contrast, we hear claims that there are alleged attempts to exert influence over him - this is an outright lie”, Gorduladze said.

He added that the opposition’s external supporters were deliberately seeking to shape narratives in their favour.

“We see that since the collective United National Movement has nothing to say or do except cause harm, their external supporters, individuals controlled by the deep state, are trying to run their election campaign from abroad. This is an attempt to ensure they have a means to create news for their own corrupt and disinformation-spreading media”, he concluded.