Kremlin Warns Russians Against Traveling To Georgia Following Incident With Pozner

(@FahadShabbir)

Kremlin Warns Russians Against Traveling to Georgia Following Incident With Pozner

It is dangerous for Russian citizens to travel to Georgia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on protests that emerged in Tbilisi in light of Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner's visit

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) It is dangerous for Russian citizens to travel to Georgia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on protests that emerged in Tbilisi in light of Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner's visit.

On Wednesday, activists, angered by Pozner's past comments in support of the independence of the partially-recognized Republic of Abkhazia, surrounded the hotel where the journalist stayed, forcing him and his friends to leave for another hotel with police escort. The protests soon erupted near the second hotel, with the activists throwing eggs at the building and clashing with police. On Thursday, Pozner, who had arrived in the Georgian capital to celebrate his birthday, told Sputnik he had left Tbilisi in the wake of the protests and was already in Moscow.

"It is dangerous for Russian citizens to be in Georgia. It is just dangerous to travel there, this should be clear for Russians," Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman condemned "aggressive actions of extremism-leaning nationalists against Russian citizens in Tbilisi."

Following the incident, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili condemned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement for staging provocations during Pozner's visit.

"We saw today's statement of the Georgian prime minister who also condemned this, and we welcome this statement," Peskov went on to say.

Peskov also thanked the Georgian police for ensuring Russians' safety in Tbilisi.