Russia not cause of Georgian unrest

Russia’s FM has dismissed Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili’s claim that Moscow was behind opposition protests in Georgia.

“Moscow views this step by the Georgian authorities as an irresponsible provocation,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that “horror stories about Russian spies” and claims that Moscow was behind the opposition protests were part of Saakashvili’s efforts to cast Moscow as an enemy.

Saakashvili accused Russian special services of funding and directing the Georgian opposition and said that several Russian diplomats would be expelled.

Russian-Georgian ties have steadily deteriorated since pro-western Saakashvili came to power in the 2003 Rose Revolution, seeking to shed Moscow’s influence and develop close ties with the United States and the European Union.