Moscow Accuses Georgian Leadership of ‘Russophobia’

In a statement issued on November 15 the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Georgian authorities were playing the “Russophobe” card in the run-up to the January 5 presidential elections.

The polls, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, will be a “farce,” “aimed at maintaining power by the current [Georgian] authorities.”

“The proposed date of the elections [with a tight timeframe] has been selected so as to forestall opposition unity and stymie the reemergence of public confidence in light of the widespread fear engendered by the violent break-up of protest rallies,” it said.

As well as this “cynical scenario”, the ministry said Georgia was gripped by “spy-mania” reminiscent of developments ahead of last year’s local elections in Georgia. The Georgian authorities arrested and subsequently expelled four Russian military officers suspected of espionage just days before local elections last October.

This week Georgia expelled three Russian diplomats, accusing them of spying. The Georgian authorities also claim that the November 7 unrest in Tbilisi was staged by “radical opposition parties” supported by the Russian intelligence services.

“Blatant Russophobia is the cornerstone of the [Georgian authorities’] election campaign,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “Fairy tales about airborne assaults and missile attacks have been propagated recently. Then ordinary citizens were bullied by stories uf three [Russian] diplomats making tens of thousands of protesters to come out onto the streets of Tbilisi. In the latest allegation, President Saakashvili has dreamt up stories of Russian tanks and other military hardware being sent to Abkhazia.”

President Saakashvili said on November 14 that the Georgian side had “documented evidence” proving the presence of additional Russian military hardware and troops in Ochamchire, in breakaway Abkhazia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that UN observers had inspected the area in question  and found no evidence to back the Georgian claim.

“Saakashvili, however, doesn’t care about facts,” it said. “It seems that he [Saakashvili] has finally immersed himself in a virtual world, wherein he invents the most dangerous threats that only his heroism can foil.”

“This type of fantasy world is worthy of Ian Fleming [the creator of James Bond]. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that he [President Saakashvili] involves the entire Georgian population, too.”

In an obvious effort to counter official Georgian accusations of Russian interference, the Russian Foreign Ministry said developments in Georgia were internal affairs for Georgia alone to deal with. It said “interfering in them is incorrect.”

In what has been seen as an allusion to the role played by Mathew Bryza, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, the ministry said “it’s not Russian emissaries that are holding meetings in Tbilisi with government officials and politicians and giving recommendations.” 

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