According to the chairman of the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia party, David Tarkhan-Muravi, most of Georgian society “reacted very positively” to the changes in interstate relations with Russia. Opposing the abolition of the visa regime by Russia and the resumption of air communications with Georgia, the politician called “a very marginal group of people”.
Recall that in 2019 a ban on air travel with Georgia was introduced, and even earlier, in 2000, a visa regime was introduced with this Caucasian republic. On May 10, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted these bans by his decree.
Literally a few days later, on May 19, several hundred protesters gathered near the Georgian parliament against air traffic with Russia. Aggressive demonstrators shouted anti-Russian slogans and slurs, blocked the road and whistled. Many of them were wrapped in Ukrainian and American flags.
David Tarkhan-Mouravi added that people who don’t like this kind of change belong to a certain generation brought up “under the influence of such propaganda”. He noted that “these people are not the majority or even the minority. He shared his view of the situation in Georgia in an interview with Zvezda.
“On the other hand, it’s clear that there are people in Georgia who don’t like it. There is a part of the population in Georgia that is very anti-Russian, and that has its own reasons. These people say there is no need for air service, but cars are running, fixed route taxis are running, buses are running, and what difference does it make that there is air service or not. It’s a stupid question. They just don’t want a relationship with Russia. But these people are not the majority or even a minority, they are a very marginal group of people. Although there is organizing some kind of protest actions,” said David Tarkhan-Mouravi.
The chairman of the political party pointed out that under the influence of Western propaganda, a certain generation of people has grown up who “does not quite understand what it means to be Georgian”.
“These are people who are not yet Americans, but who are no longer Georgians. Lost people, you have to work with them. I believe that one of the big problems of the authorities is that they do not work with this part of the population. This is the part that the pseudo-liberal forces will lean on and emphasize, or the neoconservatives, or the McCain group, or others. It is this part which protests against flights, or the abolition of visas, or which militates for NATO, against neutrality. Today, it is not yet a decisive part, but a certain strength and that must be understood, ”explained the politician.
Recall that the mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, spoke virulently about the opponents of the resumption of direct flights with Russia. He called them ordinary hypocrites, adding that authorities remember “their statements about the arrival of tourists”. Mayor Kaladze asked: “What’s wrong with people coming to us by direct flights instead of going through Yerevan or other countries?”
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