Georgia claims to have successfully averted becoming a "second Ukraine".

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze (Photo: Reuters).

Prime Minister Kobakhidze told parliament on June 28 that the Georgian government had thwarted outside attempts to turn the country into a "second Ukraine," and that Tbilisi would do everything possible to prevent such a scenario from happening in the future.

"Regarding the issue of Ukrainianization, the attempt to turn Georgia into a second Ukraine, including the Maidan revolution and then the second front (against Russia), we have spoken about this many times. Sadly, some political forces have openly participated in it."

They are spreading propaganda and openly calling for a second front in Georgia. Of course, this has increased pressure on our country, but over the years we have successfully avoided such a scenario and, of course, we are confident that we will also be able to deal with this problem in the future," said Kobakhidze.

The Prime Minister stressed that Georgia had faced similar threats in the past and that the government would not allow anyone to push the country "into a catastrophic situation" like Ukraine had been.

The Georgian authorities have repeatedly mentioned external attempts to draw the country into a "second front" in the confrontation with Russia, especially after the outbreak of hostilities between Moscow and Kyiv.

Furthermore, leaders of the ruling "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia" party emphasized that any involvement in the conflict would bring about a catastrophic end for Georgia, while the government's task is to maintain peace in the country.

In May, Georgia expressed its determination to pass a law on "foreign agents" despite concerns from the US and Europe.

At that time, Kobakhidze stated that he did not want a repeat of the Georgian Maidan scenario in Ukraine in 2014 because it would lead to very serious consequences.

Later, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili stated that several countries had repeatedly called on Tbilisi to join the conflict with Russia. In addition to urging Georgia to impose sanctions on Russia, these countries even called on Tbilisi to send troops to Ukraine.

Papuashvili said: "Many parties have urged us to do this, which would mean engaging in a direct conflict with Russia."

Although Papuashvili didn't specifically mention any particular country, he implied that NATO members were among them. He noted that no NATO country had officially sent troops to Ukraine, so he didn't understand why Georgia was being asked to do so.

In addition, he said that Georgia has long faced pressure to join Western sanctions against Moscow.

After years of tension with Russia stemming from the 2008 conflict, Georgia is now pursuing a neutral approach to the war between Moscow and Kyiv.

In 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, Georgia stated that it had no plans to impose sanctions against Russia, citing national interests. This heightened tensions in relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/gruzia-tuyen-bo-ngan-chan-thanh-cong-nguy-co-tro-thanh-ukraine-thu-2-20240629074652146.htm