TBILISI. April 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Tbilisi has criticized Russia for its comments on the planned joint military exercises under NATO's auspices to take place in Georgia in May 2009.
"Russia's recent statements and actions against Georgia are becoming gradually more substantial and cynical, which indicates unambiguously that Russia is resorting to any measures to preserve the level of tensions in Georgia and prompt destabilization of the situation in the country," the Georgian Foreign Ministry information and press department said in a commentary published on Friday.
These statements and actions indicate "Russia's new undisguised attempts to dictate its will to the international community and interfere in the affairs of Georgia as a sovereign state, thus violating commonly accepted principles and standards of international law," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
In the April 16 statement, Russian "Foreign Ministry officials openly acknowledge the fact of demonstrative buildup of the military potential on the occupied Georgian territories, although they are cynically accusing Georgia of preparing provocations at the same time."
Tbilisi also said it was disappointed and alarmed to see that, "parallel to other methods in attaining its ends in the anti-Georgian campaign, Russia is now trying to use and endanger the unconscientious youth educated by Russian propagandistic stereotypes - the so called Nashi group, whose members have become a blind weapon in the hands of the instigators of provocations."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the upcoming NATO exercises in Georgia would not help stabilize the situation in the Caucasus.