Prime Minister’s office and speaker of parliament, Davit Usupashvili, have both dismissed as PR stunt president’s proposal to hold a session of the National Security Council to discuss ‘borderisation’ and Tbilisi’s position over the Sochi Olympics.

In a sternly worded written statement, unusual for Usupashvili, the parliament speaker tells chief of the president’s administration: “I ask you publicly to convey to Mr. President that by attending this session of the National Security Council I will have to participate in his yet another PR masquerade, which will cause further discrediting of important constitutional institutions (the Georgian President, National Security Council) and showing unserious attitude towards serious state issues (creeping occupation and security of citizens).”

“I do not have such a desire; I won’t be able to arrive and advise you to think about it,” Usupashvili added in his written statement.

PM’s office released a two-sentence written statement reading: “The Georgian Prime Minister will not participate in the NSC session, because it is the President’s PR action. The Georgian government is engaged both within and outside the country to really resolve these issues.”

These statements are in contrast to what some Georgian Dream (GD) lawmakers were saying shortly after the president’s administration announced about a proposal to hold NSC session. GD MP Victor Dolidze, who chairs parliamentary committee for European integration issues, said he assesses “positively” discussing issues related to occupation of Georgian territories in frames of the NSC. Another GD MP Tedo Japaridze, who chairs parliamentary committee for foreign affairs, said he would support holding of the NSC and discussing issues related to occupied territories.

Session of the National Security Council was held twice since Georgian Dream coalition came into government in October 2012. Both of them were snubbed by PM Ivanishvili; Usupashvili attended the first of those two sessions on June 5.

Commenting on response of the PM and the parliament speaker, secretary of the National Security Council Giga Bokeria said that their refusal “to engage in business-like discussion over the most painful issue for our country… is regrettable, alarming and incomprehensible.”