29 January 2020, 13:26
In Tbilisi, political analysts assess damage to authorities from Sergey Lavrov's possible visit
President Salome Zurabishvili agreed to host a Russian delegation led by Sergey Lavrov at the Council of Europe's events in Georgia this May. The authorities are to comply with the Council of Europe (CE) regulations, but this will harm them in the eyes of voters, believe political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".
If Sergey Lavrov arrives in Georgia, his visit will cause the same unrest as the arrival of MP Sergey Gavrilov in June 2019, notes Lasha Chkhartishvili, a member of the opposition "Labour Party of Georgia".
Protests in Tbilisi began on June 20, 2019, after the Russian MP, Sergey Gavrilov, took the chair of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament at a sitting of the Parliamentary Orthodox Assembly. This triggered protests of oppositional MOs, strengthened by their supporters.
Professor of Economics Giorgi Khukhashvili believes that the visit of the Russian delegation is quite possible, and being a PACE member, Georgia is to host delegates of Russia. However, if Sergey Lavrov is on the delegation, this will lead to negative consequences.
"This is an even more dangerous event than the arrival of Sergey Gavrilov, since Sergey Lavrov is the person who pursues the Russian policy. There are systemic problems between the countries that are the consequence of the above mentioned policy: this is the problem of the occupied Georgian territories," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Giorgi Khukhashvili.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 29, 2020 at 08:05 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Beslan Kmuzov Source: CK correspondent
