Russian opposition leader Dmitry Gudkov who was recently not allowed to enter Georgia and deported from Tbilisi airport rebuked Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Nika Samkharadze’s explanation of the Georgian authorities’ decision.
Nika Samkharadze, MP said Gudkov was barred from Georgia because he was member of the Russian State Duma which recognized Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.
Gudkov issued a video address in which he stated that he became member of the Duma in 2011 while it recognized Georgia’s territories that Russia occupied in 2008. He also stressed he never violated Georgia’s Law on Occupied territories and respects Georgia’s territorial integrity. Gudkov contrasted himself with Sergey Gavrilov, a communist Russian MP who was invited by Georgian Dream to chair meeting of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy, a Russian front body, sparking mass protests in June 2019.
"I realize how important it is for the current Georgian Government to charm Putin. Arresting Saakashvili is not enough, a number of ritualistic acts are needed to get financial support for the upcoming elections. But they could come up with a decent lie at least. I respect the territorial integrity of Georgia, the Georgian nation and its European aspiration, but I despise the efforts of charming Putin and deceptions”, said Gudkov.
The Russian opposition leader stated that he had arrived in Tbilisi from Ukraine at an official invitation, intending to hold meetings with activists and diplomats, although he was deported back to Kyiv without explanation.
Lubov Sobol, key ally of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was also denied entry into Georgia in August of 2021.
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