Three attempts were made to stoke a Russophobic campaign in 2022; they failed because Russophobia is alien to Georgian culture, PM says

“In 2022, three attempts were made to stoke a Russophobic campaign, but they failed because Russophobia, like xenophobia, is alien to Georgian culture. This has since persisted, and we are now witnessing a new wave: handlers abroad and agents at home, all working in unison to fan the flames of this campaign in our country,” stated Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in response to a journalist’s question.

According to him, this is a coordinated effort, and Baramidze’s statement fits seamlessly into this context.

“Baramidze’s statement fits seamlessly into this context and cannot be viewed as a mere coincidence. When Baramidze makes such claims about events from 35 years ago and stoops to such a falsehood, it must naturally form part of this coordination. When we see foreign agents roaming Batumi beach with Russophobic placards, banners, and messages, this too is clearly the result of this coordination. We know these foreign agents exist; they walk along Batumi beach holding banners, directly harassing tourists, and on the back of all this, the very same agency of politicians, party activists, and party-aligned television channels wages their campaign, orchestrating coordinated support for this Russophobic agenda. This is the product of coordination from outside and within the country. Handlers abroad and agents at home, all working in unison to fan the flames of this campaign in our country,” noted Kobakhidze.

According to him, a similar pattern unfolded in 2022 when they failed to secure the opening of a second front in Georgia. The head of government noted that three attempts were made to stoke a Russophobic campaign in 2022 alone.

“It was the same before: in 2022, when they came to us demanding the opening of a second front and were met with a refusal, they pivoted to more indirect demands, imposing sanctions and dispatching volunteer fighters. When they failed to achieve their goal through those means either, they turned to the issue of EU candidacy, attempting to weaponise it for blackmail. That too failed to work, as the public demonstrated wisdom in the face of it all, whereupon they launched three separate Russophobic campaigns in that single year alone.

The entire activist network and foreign agents were directly deployed in these campaigns, including party activists and politicians, who actively fanned the flames of a Russophobic agenda aimed primarily against tourists. They portrayed Russian tourists as an inherent threat. Politicians, so-called NGOs, party activists, the then President Salome Zourabichvili, and party-aligned television channels were all involved. They tried three times to incite a Russophobic campaign, but failed, because Russophobia, just like xenophobia, is alien to Georgian culture. Nevertheless, the entire agency, the United National Movement alongside its satellite parties, Ahali, Lelo, and others existing at the time, was involved, as were the NGOs, the entire activist network, political operatives, and party-aligned media. That amounted to three Russophobic campaigns in 2022 alone, and this pattern has continued until we are now witnessing a new wave,” stated Kobakhidze.