TBILISI, July 10. /TASS/. Georgia’s economic growth will slow down in the coming months due to the worsening of Russian-Georgian ties, Georgian parliament speaker Archil Talakvadze said in an interview with Georgia’s Imedi TV.
"In the coming months, our economic growth is to slow down, because of what those people [members of the oppositional United National Movement party] did by staging their dirty provocations. We will see what the consequences will be and how they will affect the future of Georgia, security and opportunities for each of our citizens," he said.
According to the parliament speaker, opposition party members were seeking to justify their actions with patriotism.
"Even today, they continue to justify their steps with pseudo-patriotism, [but] what they did has nothing to do with protecting the country’s interests," he added.
On June 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree imposing a temporary ban on flights, including commercial ones, from Russia to Georgia starting July 8. On June 22, Russia’s Transport Ministry announced that starting on July 8; flights by Georgian airlines to Russia would be halted.
Russia banned flights to and from Georgia following the unrest that erupted in Tbilisi on June 20. The protests were sparked by an uproar over a Russian legislator’s address in the Georgian parliament. In line with the protocol, the speech was delivered from the speaker’s seat. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the flight ban was aimed at ensuring the safety of Russians, who might run into danger in Georgia.
On July 7, Giorgi Gabunia, the host of Georgia’s Rustavi 2 TV channel, went into a rant, spewing forth several crude comments about the Russian authorities in his Post Scriptum program. This escapade has drawn sharp criticism in the Georgian society, with dozens of citizens gathering outside the opposition TV channel’s building in the suburb of Tbilisi to voice protest over the host’s behavior.
Georgia’s authorities, including President Salome Zurabishvili and Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, have condemned the incident. Nika Gvaramia, Director General of the Rustavi 2 TV channel, likewise criticized Gabunia for his remarks. Later, Gabunia was suspended from work for two months.