Striking statement from Georgia: a “coup lesson” was taught in the project supported by the United States
The Georgia Department of Safety and Security reported that three Serbian citizens who came to Georgia under a project supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were found to be giving “coup lessons.”
In his statement, Department of Security official Bacha Mgeladze stated that Serbian citizens Sinisa Sikman, Jelena Stojsic and Slobodan Jinovic arrived in Georgia on September 25 as guests of the USAID program “East-West Management Institute.” Mgeladze stated that the official reason why the Serbian citizens in question came to Georgia was to provide training in “strategic non-violent struggle” to groups working in the field of culture, saying: “However, the investigation revealed that “It’s not the purpose of these people coming to Georgia.”
The Security Department official stated that this group gave lectures to representatives of some non-governmental organizations and civil activists in a hotel in the capital, Tbilisi, between September 26 and 29 on “the preparation and execution of the processes of overthrow of the government through violence.”
Mgeladze noted that the participants in the conference were “informed about issues such as taking measures against the government, state institutions and the Georgian Orthodox Church, closing roads to traffic, setting up tents in front of administrative buildings.” and added: “In addition, resisting arrest by police, raiding the parliament building and cutting off broadcasting stations.” She also said lessons were taught. Mgeladze claimed that Sikman, Stojsic and Jinovic gave statements to Security Department officials as part of the investigation, saying: “They tried to hide the true reason for their stay in Georgia.”
‘THEY HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH THE PINK REVOLUTION’
Mgeladze stated that a coup plan against the Georgian government was prepared between October and December and that an investigation is underway in this direction: “These people have connections with the revolution (Rose Revolution) that took place in Georgia in 2003, as well as in Serbia, Ukraine and “There were also connections with similar processes in other countries,” he said.
Sharing the information that the Serbian citizens left Georgia on September 30, Mgeladze stated that the investigation continues.
Commenting on the Security Department’s statement, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, stated that some radical groups in his country were preparing a coup plot. Noting that these groups received support from inside and outside Georgia, Garibashvili said: “We saw that there was active participation from foreign countries. “It is a worrying situation that citizens of a foreign state come to the country and provide education here disguised as if they are training representatives of a cultural and artistic field,” he said.
Noting that the people accused of giving “coup lessons” in Tbilisi were taken away by USAID, Garibashvili said: “This is, of course, a sad fact, but we will wait for their official statement. We have a long-standing collaboration with USAID. Therefore, it is sad that realities like this occur,” he stated.
The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, stated that questions have been raised about USAID and said: “This is a dark day in the history of American aid to Georgia, where we see that the money of the American people is used to plan revolutionary processes here . (in Georgia).” (AA)