Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov suggested that it is dangerous for Russian citizens to be in Georgia.
Thus, he commented on the situation around TV journalist Vladimir Pozner, who had visited Tbilisi the day before.
“It is dangerous for Russian citizens in Georgia.
It is simply dangerous to go there, and the Russians should clearly understand this, ”said Peskov.
He also said that Moscow strongly condemns the aggressive actions of nationalists against Russian citizens in Tbilisi.
At the same time, Peskov expressed gratitude to the law enforcement agencies of Georgia for ensuring the safety of Russians.
Vladimir Pozner himself announced on April 1 that he had returned to Moscow.
“I’m in Moscow, yes,” Pozner told RIA Novosti.
“None of us were fined at all,” the TV presenter replied to a clarifying question about fines for violation of quarantine in Georgia, which were reported by the media.
The journalist was forced to leave the territory of Georgia because of the protests that began in Tbilisi in connection with his arrival.
Posner arrived in the republic with a company of about 50 friends and colleagues to celebrate his 87th birthday.
The protesters argued that Posner "does not recognize the territorial integrity" of the country, referring in this regard to the TV host's past comments on the status of Abkhazia.
The protesters approached the hotel building where the banquet was being held.
They disrupted the event, and also reported to the supervisory authorities that Posner and his guests allegedly violated the restrictions in force in Tbilisi, imposed against the backdrop of the spread of the coronavirus.
Subsequently, the protesters moved to the hotel building where Posner and his friends and colleagues who had arrived with him stayed.
According to Sputnik Georgia, the demonstrators tried to break through the police cordon and pelted the building with eggs.
Against the background of the current situation, Posner and the persons accompanying him left Georgia ahead of schedule.
The journalist previously said that he planned to stay in the republic until April 3.
At the same time, the Georgian government said that Posner's visit was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law.
This was stated by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili
“Vladimir Pozner is a US citizen, he did not violate the Occupation Law.
He often visits Georgia with a US passport.
This was a private visit.
He and the people who were with him had with them covid passports and negative results of a PCR test.
Everything was within the framework of the law, "Garibashvili is quoted by Sputnik Georgia.
In his statement, the head of the Georgian Cabinet of Ministers mentioned the law "On Occupied Territories" in force in the republic.
The document states that visiting Abkhazia and South Ossetia without Tbilisi's permission is illegal.
At the same time, Garibashvili criticized the organizers of the protest action for their chosen format.
According to him, what happened in Tbilisi was "beyond the limits of civilized norms and standards."
State Duma Chairman Viacheslav Volodin said that the events around Posner's visit to Georgia indicate the situation in the internal politics of this state.
“The events around Posner’s trip to Tbilisi once again show what a deep crisis Georgia is in.
Radicalism today largely determines its domestic policy, and this, of course, will not lead to anything good, "Volodin wrote in his Telegram channel.
He recalled the events of 2019, when during the Interparliamentary Assembly in Tbilisi, spontaneous protests broke out against its head Sergei Gavrilov.
They subsequently escalated into anti-government demonstrations and clashes with the police.
“All this, of course, only destroys Georgia.
And on the eve of the summer tourist season it once again shows how unsafe it is for the citizens of our country to be there, ”concluded Volodin.
The situation was commented on by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
“The ways of democracy are uncivilized: we are walking the difficult road to the emerald city,” she wrote on Facebook.
Russian TV presenter Tina Kandelaki also spoke about the situation.
She expressed regret at the current situation.
“I am ashamed of what happened yesterday at the Tbilisi hotel, where Vladimir Vladimirovich Pozner arrived,” she wrote in Telegram, noting that the TV presenter “knows even more about Georgia than those people who suddenly decided to express their disrespect under his windows. hotels ".