Gerard Depardieu could be arrested in Georgia

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The famous French actor who arrived to Georgia for a couple of hours became a reson for another political scandal ahead of the presidential elections. The actor who rejected French citizenship and got Russian passport flew from Astana to Baku and had a change in Tbilisi airport. Depardieu decided to walk across the city with his Georgian friends.

The actor had no problems with crossing the border: Russian citizens don’t need visas to come to Georgia. From the airport the group of six people, including Depardieu went to the elite restaurant “House of Bread.” The staff of the restaurant was very happy. Owners of the restaurant ordered to service the dear guest at the highest class. Depardieu and his friends tasted all traditional dishes of Georgian cuisine. However, the actor didn’t like Georgian wine, because of great difference in production technologies between Georgian and European wine.

By the way, these taste and tradition differences don’t enable Georgia to export its wine to Western Europe. There were different traditions and practices in the Soviet Union, but Georgia completely lost them in 20 years of “fighting against the empire.”

Depardieu spent only 5 hours in Georgia, so his visit was noted only by waitresses who asked the famous actor a permission to photo him. Later they published the photo in Internet. However, it happened, after the dear guest had left Tbilisi.

Soon, the former head of the parliamentary commission on reconstruction of territorial integrity, one of the opposition leaders, Shota Malashkhiya, addressed the government: “Why didn’t the authorities arrest and interrogate Depardieu at least in the airport? He visited Abkhazia several months ago, i.e. violated the Georgian Law on Occupied Territories. Thus, he could be sent behind bars like many other Russian citizens who at first visited Abkhazia and then came to Georgia.”

According to the law, the Abkhazian-Russian border, as well as the Russian border with South Ossetia, is closed, and Russian citizens can enter the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia only from the Georgian side. Several people have already got in prison for the reason of breaking the law.

Depardieu would hardly deny the fact of visiting Abkhazia where he met the president of the republic. His visit was covered by local and Russian mass media, so Georgian customs servicemen had all reasons for arresting Depardieu. However, formal reasons are not always sufficient to make serious political decisions. If Georgia arrested the famous actor, it could make a fool of itself. The minister of justice Tea Tsulukiani stated: “Depardieu is not a person toward whom any state, including Georgia, can make a hasty decision.”

The opposition thinks such explanations are unacceptable. Saakashvili’s team immediately accused Ivanishvili and his government of “a slavish attitude to Russia and Putin.” At the same time, does the Russian government have anything in common with the situation? Despite the fact Depardieu has changed citizenship, he is still a great French actor, his works are heritage of the whole European culture.