Russian Intelligence Chief Naryshkin Praises Georgia
“The U.S. is trying to influence the parliamentary elections in Georgia, but I am confident that the Georgian people will make the right choice,” said Sergey Naryshkin, Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, during his visit to Baku on October 3, as reported by “Echo of the Caucasus.”
What Naryshkin Said:
“At the request of the U.S. State Department, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) prepared an interim report, which includes the claim that Georgia likely does not have the conditions for fair and open parliamentary elections on October 26.
But this, of course, does not reflect reality. The goal of this action is to interfere crudely and quite brazenly in Georgia’s internal affairs and prevent healthy, nationally oriented forces from coming to power again.
But I am confident that the people of Georgia will make the right and proper choice,” stated the Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
He also told Azerbaijani journalists that the results of the parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan in September “fully reflect the aspirations of the Azerbaijani people,” while OSCE representatives “tried to cast doubt on this.”
Earlier, on September 12, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reiterated the claims made by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service that “the U.S. plans to interfere in Georgia’s elections through the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).”
She accused the organization of “escalating the situation ahead of the elections.” According to Zakharova, “if the West doesn’t like the election results, the bureau’s conclusions could serve as a pretext for protest and contesting the results, leading to yet another ‘color revolution.’”
Zakharova also said that “Russia sends its observers to elections when friendly countries request it.”
