Georgian ruling party founder accuses foreign forces of planning new coup

Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party, has accused forces acting on foreign instructions of orchestrating another coup in the country.

He said forces that acted on instructions from abroad to overthrow the government of Georgia back in 2003 want to stage another state coup in the country, News.Az reports, citing TASS.

"Remember how politicians, NGOs and media outlets, financed and incited by foreign partners, have created a sort of ‘alternative universe,’ [portraying] the events of November 2003 as [a result of] popular discontent that gave rise to revolutionary sentiments rather than as events orchestrated outside the country by foreign and domestic players," he told a Georgian Dream campaign rally in the city of Zugdidi in the country’s west.

"Today, the same forces still have exactly the same intentions: serving the interests of foreign powers, they once again resort to lies, propaganda and false symbols to seize power in a divided and conflict-ridden society and bring about the same misfortunes that we have already experienced," Ivanishvili added.

Events of 2003, known as ‘the Rose Revolution, forced Soviet-era politician Eduard Shevarnadze to resign as the country’s president. He was succeeded by Mikheil Saakashvili.

News.Az