Experts comment on Georgian PM remarks

In an interview with US broadcaster CNBC, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that the angry protests in Ukraine were the result of Russian pressure and noted that his cabinet is afraid of Russian provocations.

Vestnik Kavkaza discussed Prime Minister Garibashvili's remarks with the head of the Security and Foreign Affairs Research Centre, Nika Chitadze, and head of the Managerial Strategy Institute, Petre Mamradze.

According to Chitadze, such a change in Garibashvili's approach may have been caused by fears that Russia could reconsider its policy towards the new Georgian leadership after the Olympics or some certain information concerning Russian special agents operating in the country.

Mamradze believes that Georgian politicians have to make anti-Russian statements in order to prove their patriotism, while the vast majority of Georgians welcome closer ties with Russia.