“Russia is ready to help the Georgian Dream to retain power if Tbilisi asks Moscow to do so”, said Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Andrei Klimov at a meeting of the Friends of Russia Club in Moscow, the Pirveli TV Channel website reported. Klimov also holds the position of the Chairman of the Interim Commission of the Federation Council on Protection of State Sovereignty and Prevention of Interference in the Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, but it seems that he is rather preoccupied with the alleged “interference in the internal affairs” not only of Russia, but also of countries neighboring it.
According to TV Pirveli, the journalist asked Andrei Klimov whether Russia is “ready to prevent a coup attempt in Georgia.” In response, Klimov drew a parallel with Syria, and citing the example of Bashar al-Assad and noting that those who turn to Russia receive military assistance: “Any coup d’état is an interference of external forces in the internal affairs of another state, which is a violation of the UN Charter. Let me tell you something else, for example, there was an attempt to overthrow the state in Syria. When the legitimate government of Assad turned to us for military assistance, we provided them with this assistance and, as you know, the situation in Syria has stabilized,” TV Pirveli quoted Klimov as saying.
The meeting was also attended by Mamuka Pipia, the leader of the pro-Russian party Solidarity for Peace. According to TV Pirveli it was announced at the meeting that Georgia joined the Friends of Russia Club. The pro-Krelmin party lobbies restoration of the diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia, among other measure of rapprochement between the two countries.
Commenting on the prospects of Georgia joining Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Klimov is quoted by TV Pirveli as saying: “This is, first of all, for Georgia to decide. To become a member of CSTO, one must first be willing to do so. The Collective Security Organization is an open system and all countries that are ready to live by its rules should rely on this organization. The Collective Security Organization is an open system, and all countries that are ready to live by its rules should rely on it. Vladimir Putin’s proposal is to have a common security system on the Eurasian continent. Georgia is a country of the Eurasian continent and it can do this. There may be a desire for this, our other neighbors already have an understanding of this issue, India, China and others, the main thing is not to be late”.
Friends of Russia Club was created in February 2023 by the Untied Russia party and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. According to the official website of the United Russia party it initiated the creation of the Friends of Russia Club “to promote humanitarian cooperation” and as “an informal international platform and corresponding Internet platform for those who do not want to lose touch with the Russian world.”
