PM: Russian authorities pursued a policy that resulted in the occupation of territories; We hold a very firm viewpoint regarding this

“When individuals attempt to move politics to people-to-people relations, this is an intentional step against your own country’s national interests,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze during the news briefing.

According to the PM, shifting politics to people is absurd, and foreign agents and party activists do that.

“The only attitude acceptable for me: First is to separate politics, pursued by a government that resulted in the occupation of our territories. The Russian authorities pursued a policy that resulted in the occupation of territories. We hold a very firm viewpoint regarding this, and this viewpoint is expressed in strict political steps.

As for the Russian people, including Russian tourists, Russian culture, etc, when individuals attempt to move politics to people-to-people relations, this is an intentional step against your own country’s national interests. We used to hold briefings regarding Russophobia, and we did that several times in 2022; your representatives stepped forward, saying that xenophobia is good and correct, as Russians are all occupants.

When I was a child in the 1980s, forty years after the World War had ended, people thought of Germans as bad people; not just Hitler and the German government, but the German people themselves were considered bad. When the Soviet Union was taking steps, for instance, the occupation of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, the Soviet people could be considered bad, including Georgians.

Shifting politics onto people is absurd, and you, foreign agents and party activists, do that. You are attempting to shift onto the Russian people the burden of the grave political reality that has emerged, including as a result of the crime of occupation committed by the Russian Federation,” he said.