INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Kremlin on Friday accused the West of trying to interfere in Georgias upcoming parliamentary elections, while likewise dismissing claims
that it was meddling in the South Caucasus countrys politics.Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on Saturday, which some observers
have called an essential test of the countrys democracy and its prospects of joining the European Union
Were not influencing or interfering in Georgias affairs, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters
Its up to the Georgians to make their own decisions
But were experiencing completely extraordinary efforts by the West to interfere
They are not just trying to twist Tbilisis arm, theyre actually trying to dictate terms, Peskov added.Domestic critics have actually
implicated the judgment Georgian Dream celebration of moving the nation far from the West and closer to Russia given that the full-scale
invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
Earlier this year, the celebration passed questionable laws targeting foreign-funded NGOs and the LGBTQ+ community, with the EU warning that
the laws underminethe countrys long-standing bid for EU membership.Russia and Georgia, which were both part of the Soviet Union, battled a
short war in 2008 over control of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, areas that looked for to separate from the country.The 2 nations officially
broke off diplomatic ties, but Georgian Dream has actually been implicated of courting financial and political ties with the Kremlin in
recent years.AFP contributed reporting.A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unmatched obstacles
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