“There are international actors who do not recognise Georgia’s jurisdiction over 20 per cent of its territory, and there are forces within the country who do not recognise the jurisdiction of the Georgian government over 100 per cent of its territory. The Law on Occupation addresses the first problem; a new law, amendments to the Criminal Code, is now being adopted to address the second. Sabotage and extremism directed against the constitutional order must be met with the full force of the law,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.

The Prime Minister further stated that Georgia’s constitutional order must be rigorously upheld.

“We have a constitutional order, a constitutional framework, and it must be strictly protected. The Constitution provides for this, and legislation must provide for it. If the actions of specific individuals pose a threat to the country’s constitutional order, then in such cases the law must act. As you know, there are five specific countries, Russia plus four others, that do not recognise the jurisdiction of the Georgian government over 20 per cent of Georgia’s territory. Within the country, some forces do not recognise the jurisdiction of the Georgian government over the remaining 80 per cent either. Both are equally problematic for us. On one hand, some international actors do not recognise Georgia’s jurisdiction over 20% of its territory, while on the other, domestic forces deny the Georgian government’s authority over the entire country. In one case, we have the Law on Occupation to counter the first problem; now a new law is being adopted, amendments to the Criminal Code, to counter the second. Sabotage and extremism directed against the constitutional order is precisely what legislation must be brought to bear against,” the Prime Minister stated.