The Kremlin has noted Russian lawmakers’ tough and unanimous stance on anti-Russian provocations in Georgia, but the country’s leadership has not made a decision on economic measures against Tbilisi yet, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"This tough response from Russian parliamentarians and complete unanimity in their stance against the backdrop of the Georgian TV host’s unprecedented behavior are quite natural," he said commenting on the statement on Georgia approved by the Russian State Duma (lower house). In it, lawmakers suggested responding to Georgia’s anti-Russian provocations with a number of economic measures.
The Kremlin spokesman recalled that "decisions are made by the government and, ultimately, by the president of the country." "So far, no decision has been made," he said.
On Sunday, Giorgi Gabunia, the host of Georgia’s Rustavi 2 TV channel, exploded into a rant, spouting numerous crude comments about the Russian authorities in his Post Scriptum program.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Foreign Ministry, former Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, and ex-Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze strongly condemned the incident. Nika Gvaramia, Director General of the Rustavi 2 TV channel, likewise criticized Gabunia for his obscenity-filled outburst. The TV host’s statements also triggered a huge backlash from a large number of Facebook users throughout Georgia.
Peskov stressed that the incident stemmed from "conniving with those who incited and fomented the Russophobic hysteria [in Georgia]." "We believe all that is very dangerous," he added. The Kremlin spokesman recalled that a series of anti-Russian, extremist events had occurred in Georgia recently.
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