Georgian president refuses to meet with premier
TBILISI. March 1 (Interfax) - Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili claims that President Mikheil Saakashvili refused to meet with him citing a previously planned visit.
"I was supposed to meet with Saakashvili today, but he changed his mind," Ivanishvili said at a cabinet session on Friday.
However, the Georgian government said it was not aware of the president's travel plans.
Defense Minister Irakly Alasania, for his part, told journalists he had the impression that Saakashvili sought to "reduce everything to powder" before quitting politics.
According to Alasania, Saakashvili said at Tbilisi Airport upon return from Baku that a group of Georgian and Azeri billionaires had allegedly been formed in Russia with the aim of destabilizing the situation in the region.
"In my opinion, his statement was anti-state. I got the impression that he wants to reduce everything to powder before he quits politics," the minister said.