“It is difficult to imagine that Russophobia could be such a widespread problem in a country where 50% of the population speaks Russian perfectly well. It is difficult to imagine that Russophobia could be such a powerful and serious problem in a country where the majority of citizens have read Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Pushkin, and others,” Levan Lortkipanidze, one of the founders of the Movement for Social Democracy, said regarding the issue of Russophobia in the country.

Speaking on PalitraNews’ program “Day Newsroom,” he said that he does not see Russophobia as a problem in the country.

“I do not see a problem of Russophobia in the country, but when the Prime Minister begins talking about separating political and social relations, and separating interstate relations from relations between peoples, his goal is for us to stop talking about political issues and stop focusing on them.

Why is it Russophobia when we feel threatened by a country that occupies 20% of our territories? Why is it Russophobia when the vast majority of Georgia’s population cannot afford to buy a home, while apartment buildings are being constructed where apartments are purchased exclusively by representatives of one nation? Why is it Russophobia when we see educational institutions, kindergartens, schools and shops established by Russians in various cities? When we see that our occupying country is creating a small state within our own country and attempting to gain privileges, people naturally develop resistance and protest. I see this as well, and it is completely understandable that critical attitudes toward Russia exist in Georgia,” Levan Lortkipanidze said.

Regarding Irakli Kobakhidze’s question as to why the arrival of Russian tourists was not considered unacceptable under the previous government following the August 2008 war, the political scientist said that “Irakli Kobakhidze’s questions may be legitimate when directed at 2% or 10% of activists of opposition parties.”

“But is the whole of Georgia made up of opposition-party activists? Irakli Kobakhidze may level this criticism at those people who are now running around the beaches with banners but were not doing so at the time, but why are you blaming the entire society and lumping everyone together?

Why does he talk about Russophobia, which is an important segment of Russia’s foreign policy? Russians say that, in order to improve or enhance their image and reputation, they should begin fighting Russophobia in neighboring states and talk not about the problems caused by their foreign policy, but about the problems of local populations, as if those populations simply hate Russians.

There are many anti-Putin Russian activists living in Tbilisi, but when we talk about Russians, we remember only Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, while we do not remember Putin, Zhirinovsky, Lebed, Ironov, and those who were responsible for the events of April 9. This is precisely the absurdity we are dealing with: one side sees only bloodshed, while the other sees only Dostoevsky and Tolstoy,” Levan Lortkipanidze said.

According to him, the country’s economy should be structured in such a way that a change in tourists’ behavior does not cause the country’s economy to enter a recession.

“Irakli Kobakhidze said something appalling: that ‘Russian tourists are so important to the economy that a change in their behavior could cause a recession.’ In other words, we are a country that depends on whether a Russian tourist buys cheese at the Chakvi market or rents a bedroom. This is the kind of economy Georgian Dream has created, and it tells us that if we want a different kind of economy, that would mean tourism turnover falling from 4 billion to 400 million. No! Nobody is asking for the destruction of tourism. Let the revenue be 4 billion or even 10 billion, but tourism - especially the actions of Russian tourists - should not account for such a large share of our economy that a change in their behavior could cause recession, disaster, and impoverishment in the country.

Therefore, in addition to the fact that they are pursuing the Kremlin’s policies, raising the issue of Russophobia today serves one purpose: if tourist flows decline, Georgian Dream will no longer be able to present the figures it uses to tell us that the economy is booming and reaching new heights,” Levan Lortkipanidze said.