Russian Foreign Minister Defends Agents’ Law, Accuses West of “Eroding” Georgian Values
In his September 6 interview with Russian media outlet RBK, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended the adoption of the Foreign Agents law by Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, and repeated the Georgian Government’s narrative that the U.S., Poland, France and “many other countries” have much stricter such laws. He also accused the West of imposing “LGBT agenda” on Georgia, and talked about the developments in occupied Abkhazia.
“What the Georgian government is doing now is the [coming to] realization of their national identity and to [coming to] the understanding that the Georgian people have the values of Orthodoxy and national culture, which will be eroded, erased and subjugated by the “rules” that the West is imposing on everyone, primarily in the context of the values of liberal democracy or, if you will, democratic liberalism,” Lavrov claimed, adding that “Georgians are not satisfied with this” and with “the unbridled imposition of the LGBT agenda.”
Noting his appreciation of Georgians for “their love of life” and adding that Georgia was “one of the leading cultural centers during the Soviet Union – our common homeland,” Lavrov said that Georgians carefully guard their history and are “reproached” for it by the West.
“There is a big conflict with the President”, Lavrov noted. Speaking about the negotiations on the 2005 agreement on the withdrawal of Russia’s last military bases from Georgia, where Salome Zurabishvili was his counterpart, he accused the former ruling United National Movement party and former President Saakashvili of failing to fulfill Georgia’s obligations to Russia, such as opening an anti-terrorist center in Georgia with the Russian participation. “I recently recalled this story while discussing with someone the credibility of negotiations with the West and the governments in other regions that blindly follow Western instructions,” he added.
“The Georgian “example” is very revealing. More and more countries realize that this “vortex” of liberal democracy into which the West is “sucking” them contradicts the roots, traditions of their ancestors. It is these traditions that the West wants to erode, obliterate and replace them with its own, unconventional values, with the help of which it hopes to maintain its hegemony,” Lavrov claimed.
Lavrov was also asked about the recent suspension of funds to the occupied Abkhazia by Moscow, following the de-facto authorities’ denial to “adopt” the controversial “Apartment Law.” Lavrov denied that there is “aggravation” of relations between the Kremlin and the occupied region, but emphasized the importance of “the fulfillment of all the agreements reached and approved by the presidents.”
He emphasized that “there is a package of agreements” signed between Moscow and Sokhumi, and each side has its own obligations under these agreements “ratified by the parliaments.” He added: “It is a question of observing the balance of these obligations. Our Abkhazian friends understand this very well.”
Also Read:
- 27/08/2024 – Russian Foreign Intelligence Chief Says Russia Wants to Prevent Color Revolution in Georgia
- 26/08/2024 – Russian Foreign Intelligence Foresees U.S.-backed ‘Tbilisi Maidan’
- 16/08/2024 – Putin’s Aide Accuses U.S. of “Organizing” 2008 Russia-Georgia War
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
