Viktor Vodolatsky, a member of Russia’s State Duma, said there are “contacts” with members of Georgia’s disputed parliament when commenting to the state-controlled TASS news agency on reports that Russian citizens born in occupied territories were denied entry to Georgia. Vodolatsky, however, did not name any Georgian MPs with whom he or other Duma members are in contact.
“To date, contacts with members of the Georgian parliament indicate that they are also unaware of the processes taking place at the border,” Vodolatsky, the first Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, told TASS on January 27.
According to Vodolatskhy, Georgian MPs “with whom we communicate” say the initiators of such actions may be individuals within the Georgian Dream government and law enforcement leadership who want “to be integrated into the European community.” He described this as a “residual phenomenon” of previous government policies, which he said “wanted to lose Georgia’s sovereignty” and “surrender the country, like Ukraine, at the expense of its identity and cultural and family values.”
The comments come amid reports that Russian citizens, particularly those born in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, are being denied entry to Georgia. The total number of cases remains unclear. In late December, the Russian Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Georgia urged citizens to weigh “all circumstances and possible risks” before traveling to Georgia.
In a separate video interview released by TASS, Vodolatsky accused what he called “internal enemies of Georgia itself” of seeking to worsen relations with Russia, despite what he said is the current Georgian leadership’s view that Russia is “not an enemy,” but a “good neighbor and partner” that contributes to the “development of Georgia’s economy.”
“In other words, for Georgia, Russia is a lifeline for small and medium-sized businesses. That is why the people of Georgia themselves are dissatisfied with the current situation,” he said.
He expressed hope that in the future, “Georgia itself will make up its mind and continue not to lose its sovereignty, not to focus on the Euro-Atlantic situation,” and that the Georgian people will “strengthen their sovereignty, and then relations with Russia will be restored in many areas.”
