Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accuses foreign intelligence services of financing the anti-government protests and warns that they are trying to stage a coup similar to the one in Ukraine in 2014.
The statement comes after growing pressure from Western governments and domestic protests, which have condemned what they regard as Georgia's departure from the country's planned path toward EU membership.
At Monday's press conference, Kobakhidze drew parallels to the Euromaidan protests in Kiev and directed sharp criticism at opposition parties.
— A revolution orchestrated by a foreign agency will not occur in Georgia; we will not permit it. We possess all the necessary resources to prevent this, said Kobakhidze to journalists.
The prime minister repeatedly emphasized the connection to the events in Ukraine in 2014 and what followed thereafter.
— All of this is orchestrated by foreign special services, just as it was during the Maidan. You remember how those protests were financed by foreign intelligence agencies, and you also recall what followed for Ukraine, he said.
"Must expose all external interference"
Kobakhidze claimed that the Ukrainian state has collapsed and that the country has endured two wars – both triggered by revolutions financed from abroad.
— Of course, we cannot allow such a scenario to unfold in Georgia. We simply do not have the resources for that. That's why we must expose any such external financing and interference, the prime minister emphasized.
Georgia, which is a former Soviet republic, has in recent years come into conflict with the EU over the country's democratic development and reform work.
The Euromaidan protests in Kiev began in November 2013 after Ukraine's government suspended plans for an association agreement with the EU. The demonstrations, which received extensive Western support, then escalated during the winter.
Over a hundred people were killed in the clashes and in February 2014, President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian administration were forced to resign and were quickly replaced by a US- and EU-backed government.
