Georgian Political Parties Criticize Alliance of Patriots for Second Visit to Moscow

The Alliance of Patriots of Georgia (APG), a Georgian parliamentary opposition party which is often affiliated with Russia, has become the object of criticism of Georgian political parties once again after their second visit to Moscow.

Three members of the APG, Ada Marshania, Giorgi Lomia and Nato Chkheidze, left for Moscow on October 1 in order to meet Russian Parliamentarians for the second time. The previous visit took place in June this year.

Ada Marshania reported prior to the departure that the visit would last for several days and Georgia’s occupied territories and Georgia-Russian dialogue would be the main topics of the meeting.

One of the leaders of the APG, Irma Inashvili, called on the Georgian government to use the opportunity to restore political ties with Russia.

“The government should support the creation of a new format: Georgia-NATO-Russia. This format will give us a chance to talk about security mechanisms and borders. The government of Georgia will benefit from this chance,” she stated.

The Russian Communist Party Head, Leonid Kalashnikov, who met the APG members in Moscow, stated that the main topics of the meeting were humanitarian cooperation issues and restoration of bilateral ties.

Kalashnikov also mentioned that Georgia rejected Russia’s offer to help extinguish large-scale fire in Borjomi Gorge this summer, adding this was “not nice”.

“With the Alliance of Patriots, we discussed the need for restoration of bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia and also about the functioning of a railway system via Abkhazia,” he added.

Tamar Chugoshvili, the first deputy chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia, negatively assessed the visit of APG to Russia.

“I do not think that such meetings serve the interests of the country, especially with the conditions in the occupied territories: ethnic cleansing, ethnic persecution and discrimination of Georgians," she said.

The opposition parties claim the APG is a lobbyist of Russia in Georgian parliament, where the party has six MPs.

The United National Movement (UNM) believes that the APG’s actions are agreed on with the government of Georgia.

“Russia successfully continues a hybrid war against Georgia, and this is done with the support of the Georgian authorities,” Roman Gotsiridze from the UNM stressed.

Another parliamentary opposition party, European Georgia, also hints at there being some ties between the Government of Georgia and the APG.

"It is damaging when one of the opposition forces of Georgian parliament speaks to the occupant country, and this is naturally partially agreed with the government: they wanted to have such a political force in the Parliament of Georgia," Sergo Ratiani, member of European Georgia, said.

Georgia and Russia cut diplomatic ties in 2008 after the August War. Since then, meetings of the Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, and the State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin, have been the only direct format of negotiations between the two states.

Thea Morrison

Related stories:

Georgian Opposition Party to Leave for Moscow, Again

Russia’s Kalashnikov Says State Duma Members to Visit Georgia

Georgian MPs' Visit to Moscow Angers Georgians, Delights Russians