Ivanov’s Remarks Slammed as ‘Immoral’

Officials in Tbilisi condemned Russian First Vice-Premier Sergey Ivanov’s remarks on the August 6 missile incident as “immoral.”

Ivanov said on August 11 that the missile incident was “theatrical show” staged by the Georgian authorities.

“This was an immoral statement, full of cynicism,” Kote Gabashvili, a lawmaker from the ruling party and chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the parliament, told Rustavi 2 TV on August 13.

The response from Davit Bakradze, the state minister for conflict resolution issues, was even tougher. “Unlike its neighboring country,” he said, “Georgian authorities do not plant bombs in apartment buildings.”

His comment was a reference to the Moscow and Volgodonsk apartment building bombing attacks in 1999 which killed almost 300 people. Chechen militants were blamed, but allegations emerged that the attacks were masterminded by the FSB to justify the launch of the second war in Chechnya.

“Unfortunately, Sergey Ivanov is continuing his old tradition of making anti-Georgian statements,” Bakradze told Rustavi 2 TV on August 13.