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Ruling party donwplays Ivanishvili`s decision to sell his assets in Russia
10.09.12 15:15
Ruling party United National Movement downplayed the decision of the leader of the Georgian Dream Coalition to sell his assets in Russia. Zurab Japaridze of the party said at the briefing today that selling assets in Russia did not mean that Ivanishvili was no longer dependent on Russia and Putin.
Zurab Japaridze commented on the article published in the British online newspaper the Independent entitled `Bidzina Ivanishvili: The billionaire with a Georgian dream`.
`Ivanishvili says he had a rule in Tbilisi, in Moscow and in Paris – his house was for family only, and only one or two business partners who had become friends were allowed in. "It`s customary in business to invite your partners to your house, to make the families friends, it helps with business. But for me, the home is sacred. No business partners were ever allowed in, let alone Saakashvili! If Putin had found out I was meeting him, my business in Russia would have been over the next day." Even before the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, there was extreme suspicion of Saakashvili and his pro-Nato agenda in Moscow, and Ivanishvili claims he would fly to Saakashvili`s residence by helicopter, where the two men would have meetings in secret, to avoid the Russian leadership finding out,` the article said.
`This statement made it clear once again who influenced and still influences Ivanishvili even in such an easy decisions as to meet with the president of Georgia - this is the Kremlin and this is Putin. The same statement shows how strong and influential is the support of the Kremlin in Georgia and how successfully Putin uses it for achieving his goals,` Zurab Japaridze said.
Bidzina Ivanishvili also commented on this controversy, saying the quotations in the article were exaggerated.
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