The Russians threatened me, says friend of Georgia

Lithuanian MP Mantas Adomenas says that he has been threatened by a member of Russia's ruling party for persuading the Lithuanian Parliament to declare its support for Georgia.

On June 2 the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, adopted a resolution sponsored by Adomenas confirming its non-recognition of Georgia’s breakaway regions and support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. 55 members of the Seimas voted for the resolution while 23 abstained. The resolution is the first international document which formally recognises that these two regions are occupied by Russia.

The Lithuanian MP has told Rustavi 2 that after the Parliamentary Conference of the Baltic Countries Valentina Pivnenko, a member of Russia's ruling party, talked to him and threatened him with payback.

“Everything should be given its proper name. Declaring support for its friends is very important for Lithuania, especially when Georgia deserves this support. Russia does not conceal the fact that any support for Georgian territorial integrity irritates it very much. The era of Soviet diplomacy should be brought to an end. It is time to learn to take responsibility for what we do and Russia must accept responsibility for what it has done. The illegal threats made towards me are beyond all limits and Russia should know that if it does not respect the norms of international relations it will be isolated from other civilized countries,” Adomenas said.

Georgian MP Davit Darchiashvili commented, “I would not be at all surprised if Russian officials threaten politicians impolitely, because the Russian body politic is full of criminality. It commits a very interesting brand of criminality not only against its own citizens but also those of neighbouring countries. Its threatening and blackmailing are signs of this criminality.”