Burjanadze calls decision to expell Russian diplomat from Tbilisi funny, incompetent
TBILISI. March 30 (Interfax) - The decision to expel an official from the Russian section of the Swiss embassy is not in Georgia's interests, Nino Burjanadze, leader of the opposition party Democratic Movement and former speaker of the Georgian parliament, said.
The decision to expel the Russian diplomat from Georgia to show solidarity with the UK shows the absolute incompetence of the Georgian authorities, who in doing so "put the interests of other countries higher than the interests of their country," Burjanadze told reporters on Friday.
She said she believes this decision is "funny."
"It is not in the interests of Georgia, such facts are only in the interests of the United States and other Western countries, which are deliberately aggravating the relations with Russia in a situation when the Georgian prime minister sent a letter to the Russian administration two weeks ago on the issue of the need to settle relations," Burjanadze said.
The opposition politician said she finds the expulsion of the Russian diplomat after the Georgian prime minister's letter to the Russian administration demonstrates inconsistent policies.
"What consistency and what improvement of relations are they talking about?" she said.
Burjanadze said she believes that Georgia could not have made a decision on the expulsion of the Russian diplomat.
She said Georgia has no diplomatic relations with Russia and therefore could have just said that the diplomat could not be expelled for that reason.