Kobakhidze: Saakashvili courted Russian businesses and tourists right after brutal murder of war hero Antsukhelidze

“The entire essence of foreign agents is that they do precisely what they are instructed to do. At the time, it was in the handlers’ interest that their local agents face no additional economic troubles, so they issued a straightforward directive: Saakashvili had to greet Russian tourists and businesspeople at the Larsi border checkpoint. Today, they have a different directive, because now it suits the Deep State’s interest to deploy its foreign network to inflict economic harm on Georgia,” stated Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in response to a journalist’s question.

According to him, back then, specific individuals were delivering speeches insisting that Russian tourists and Russian capital in Georgia were strictly welcome; they embraced all of it, yet today those very same individuals have been designated as the chief Russophobes in Georgia.

“The whole essence of foreign agents is that they execute whatever orders they receive. At that time, Saakashvili was instructed to throw open the doors to Russians and Russian tourists, to greet them at the Larsi border checkpoint, and so forth. That was the directive; that was the Deep State’s line at the time. One of the objectives was clear: they had their network in power, and following the 2008 war, there were already countless difficulties, such as the 2009 economic downturn. Naturally, it was in the handlers’ interest to avoid imposing further economic distress on their local operatives. Consequently, they gave a simple directive that Saakashvili should greet Russian tourists and businesspeople at the Larsi border checkpoint. Now they have a different assignment because today, on the contrary, it is in the Deep State’s interest to use foreign agents to inflict economic harm on Georgia. Back then, the objective was the exact opposite: the Deep State sought to shield its agents in power from economic hardship, whereas today, its focus is on inflicting economic distress upon Georgia. Thus, the network received one set of orders then, and a completely different set today.

Saakashvili was welcoming Russian tourists in 2009, 2010, and 2011, when the August war had occurred a mere one, two, or three years earlier; when the deaths of our soldiers, police officers, and civilians were still fresh. Over 400 people had lost their lives, and 30,000 citizens had been driven from their homes. All of this was still raw, and the torture and murder of Antsukhelidze was equally fresh. Yet back then, Saakashvili and Merabishvili opened their arms to Russians, Russian tourists, and business people. You know who have been designated from abroad as the chief Russophobes within the foreign agency today: Khoshtaria, Zura Japaridze, and Misha Mshvildadze, the founder of Formula. Yet back then, these very people were making explicit statements that Russian tourists and Russian money in Georgia were nothing short of welcome; they celebrated it all. Today, these individuals are assigned to act as the primary Russophobes in Georgia. One of them, the founder of Formula, sells flats to Russians while simultaneously serving as a designated Russophobe. Doesn’t all of this demonstrate that they are, in reality, foreign agents who will do whatever they are commanded to do according to external interests?” Kobakhidze stated.