The head of Georgia's Parliament, David Barakidze, says his country is being targeted for “regime change — by economic means,” and is appealing to the United States and other countries for major economic assistance.
In an interview from Denver, where he is lobbying leading delegates to the Democratic National Convention, Barakidze said Russian forces had severely damaged Georgia's roads and port facilities during the recent conflict and had planted mines and other explosives near oil pipelines that continued to threaten oil shipments across Georgia to Turkey.
“Twenty per cent of Georgia's economy is foreign direct investment,” Barakidze told me. “Without foreign confidence (in Georgia's economy) within a few months we could be a failed state.”
Besides appealing for emergency foreign assistance, Barakidze said Georgia is calling on foreign governments to restrict the travel and foreign activities of Russia's business elite.
Listen to the interview below: